Public Safety

Canadians have been using natural gas at home and at work for over 100 years:

• The first Canadian discovery of natural gas was made in New Brunswick in 1859.
• Wide-scale production was developed in Canada in the early 1900s.
• Canada’s first natural gas transmission pipeline was constructed in 1912 in Alberta.
• Canada’s first interprovincial pipeline began transporting natural gas in 1956.

Pipelines enabled producers to transport natural gas across vast distances and to provide a clean and cost-effective energy source to many communities. The Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline (M&NP) was the first major natural gas transmission system to operate in the Maritimes. In 2000, M&NP began transporting natural gas through Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to an interconnection with the United States, as well as a direct line into Saint John. Service to St. George, Moncton and Fredericton followed in 2001, and to St. Stephen in 2004.

It is safe to walk, bike, ski, garden and farm over the Brunswick Pipeline. It has been designed to allow cars, trucks and other vehicles to continue using roadways as before.   In fact, thousands of cars cross other buried pipelines in New Brunswick every day.

An underground transmission pipeline is the safest and most environmentally responsible way to transport large volumes of natural gas. Across North America there are 500,000 kilometres of gas transmission pipelines.  More than five million homes and businesses across Canada safely use natural gas for heating, cooking and other needs.  It is also an important energy source powering an increasing number electricity generation plants in both Canada and the United States.

Compared with common risk factors, natural gas transmission has a remarkable safety record. The Government of Canada reports the following statistics:

Finally, there has not been a single fatality of a member of the public caused by natural gas pipeline failure in the past 20 years in Canada.

Meeting Safety Standards and More
The design and construction of transmission pipelines in Canada are guided by strict regulations made by the National Energy Board (NEB) and the Canada Standards Association (CSA). These standards regulate pipe wall thickness, protective pipe coatings, depth of burial, operating pressures, public safety and system integrity management. These standards are considered the highest in the world.

Emera New Brunswick prides itself on implementing safety measures for the Brunswick Pipeline that met or exceeded federal regulations.  We took many precautions in the design and construction of the Brunswick Pipeline – because no business objective is more important than the safety of people living and working around the pipeline. Our pipeline includes a broad array of safety features:

• High quality steel and testing at manufacture.
• Application of a 0.37 mm fusion bond epoxy coating to protect the pipeline against corrosion.
• Cathodic protection (impressed current on the pipeline) to protect against corrosion.
• Use of heavy wall (Class 3 [5/8”/15.7mm]) pipe throughout the 30-kilometre distance in Saint John, as well as at all road, rail and major watercourse crossings.
• Specialized welding techniques.
• X-ray or ultrasonic testing of each weld.
• Installation of pipe 50% deeper than required, to a depth of 0.9 metres. (Regulations require the pipe be buried 0.6 metres.)
• Pre-operation hydrostatic tests to verify structure integrity under extreme pressure.

Safety in Operations
In addition to the features built into the pipeline are safety practices followed in operations to protect the installed pipeline:

• 24 hr/day, 7 days/week monitoring of gas flow pressures
• Plan for rapid pressure loss on the pipeline through a series of valves along the route
• Pipeline marker signs to identify the area where the pipeline is buried
• Public awareness program to remind people to call before they dig near the pipeline
• Regular aerial patrols to guard against unauthorized activity
• Leakage surveys
• Periodic in-line inspections using sophisticated electronic equipment to check for changes in the steel pipe wall
• Security management plan, including random patrols of cell above ground facilities and the use of other modern security protocols
• Our Emergency Response Plan was developed with input from local and provincial emergency responders
• Ensuring first responders have the training needed to deal with pipeline emergencies

Testimony at the November 2006 NEB HearingDr. John Kiefner, Kiefner and Associates testified at the November 2006 NEB hearings that, “It would take an excavator in excess of 109 tonnes to puncture the proposed [Brunswick] pipeline, given its wall thickness.” He continued, “There is no backhoe in common use in Saint John which could puncture the Brunswick Pipeline.” 

Emera New Brunswick is a wholly owned subsidiary of Emera Inc. (EMA-TSX), an energy company based here in the Maritimes. Find out more about Emera.