Keystone Boosted Oil Flows Just Before Kansas Crude Spill
- Pipeline was testing higher flow rates in November, December
- Keystone has spilled more oil than any US pipe since 2010
Cleanup in the area where the Keystone pipeline dumped oil in Washington County, Kansas.
Source: DroneBase/AP
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TC Energy Corp., the operator of the Keystone pipeline, raised the volume of oil flowing through it before the system suffered its worst leak on record.
Crude flows on the conduit carrying heavy crude from Western Canada to the US Midwest reached nearly 650,000 barrels a day on the night of the spill, according to data from WoodMackenzie. That’s an increase from a baseline of about 622,000 barrels a day. TC Energy said in October it would temporarily raise flows in November and December to test the system’s operational efficiency.