A power outage that continues to curtail throughputs on TC Energy's 590,000 b/d Keystone crude pipeline was caused by vandalism of a power substation transformer in South Dakota.
East River Electric Power Cooperative of Madison, South Dakota, said a substation in northeastern Beadle County that serves just the Keystone pipeline went offline at 1:30am ET on 17 July because of undisclosed vandalism.
"This was not heat or weather related," East River Electric spokesman Chris Studer told Argus. "It was an act of vandalism and authorities are investigating."
TC Energy declared a force majeure for its Keystone system the same day as the power outage. Keystone originates in Hardisty, Alberta, and includes more than 2,600 miles (4,184km) of pipelines delivering crude to key market hubs including Patoka, Illinois; Cushing, Oklahoma; and Port Arthur.
Minerial oil, which is used as an insulator, was leaking from the vandalized transformer, according to Studer. Repairs have started on the power substation but neither East River Electric nor TC Energy have given a timeline for a return to full-service.
In November last year, a protester attempted to tamper with Enbridge's 540,000 b/d Line 5 in Michigan. In 2019, environmental activists attempted to shut down Enbridge's Line 3 and 4, which have a combined capacity of 1.2mn b/d, in Minnesota.
