KANSAS CITY, Mo. — An initial investigation into the cause of the December 2022 rupture of the Keystone Pipeline in north-central Kansas reports a welding flaw played a crucial role in the incident.
TC Energy, which operates the pipeline, made the announcement of its initial investigation Thursday morning.
The investigation attempted to learn more about the incident in which thousands of barrels of oil were released into rural areas and a waterway on Dec. 7 in Washington County, Kansas.
The company said Thursday its investigation identified several factors that led to the failure, specifically citing bending stress on the pipe and a weld flaw.
The weld flaw grew worse over time because of bending stress, which eventually led to the rupture. TC Energy says it continues to investigate the cause of the bending stress.
The pipeline was operating within its designed capacity and within its designed operating pressure, per the company.
Initially, TC Energy estimated as much as 14,000 barrels of oil were released in the incident, though the company revised the amount down to just under 13,000 barrels.
It was estimated Thursday the spill has cost $480 million between the clean-up, investigation and environmental remediation at the site.
The affected section of pipeline remained shut down for nearly three weeks while crews completed an investigation and conducted repairs.
The company received regulatory approval to resume operations of the pipeline on Dec. 29.
