Irving Oil crews struggle to clear pipeline blockage

Irving Oil crews have been working around the clock for nearly a week in Saint John, trying to unclog a pipeline blockage that occurred while refuelling the Coleson Cove Generating Station.

Backhoes, dump trucks, and pumping stations have been set up at several locations to resolve the problem, caused by thick oil.

​It's unclear how long the work will take. Irving Oil officials declined to comment on Friday.

​But Coleson Cove is only budgeted to run for 23 days this winter, according to an NB Power spokesperson.

Even with the bunker line clogged, Coleson Cove has 425,000 barrels of oil in its reserves — enough to last the winter, she said.

NB Power has been operating Coleson Cove on and off this winter, due to some extremely cold days and a high demand for power.

The Irving Oil Ltd. refinery usually refuels Coleson Cove with a type of oil, called bunker C, that is so thick it has to be heated before it leaves the refinery and kept warm as it makes it way along the pipeline route.

But something malfunctioned in recent days, grinding everything to a halt.

In order to get the bunker pipeline moving again, Irving Oil workers have to dig it up.

"What they're doing is pumping in warm oil to heat up the bunker C, to kind of clear a section at a time," said Dave Young, of the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board.

"So they're going section to section, clearing the pipe until … they get enough flow to get the oil to Coleson Cove."

This isn't the first time the bunker line has clogged. Once repairs are complete, there will a report filed, looking into ways to prevent it from happening again, officials said.