The explosion and fire that damaged an Enbridge natural gas pipeline through northern B.C. Tuesday night has led to a shutdown at Howe Sound Pulp and Paper in Port Mellon.
The incident has impacted the supply of gas to the south coast, and Fortis BC has been asking customers to cut back on their use.
The mill, which is the largest employer in the area, uses natural gas for its lime kiln, and Kathy Cloutier of HSPP’s parent company Paper Excellence confirmed to The Chief’s sister paper, Coast Reporter, that the pulp mill is currently on shutdown.
Enbridge received approval from the National Energy Board on Wednesday night to restart a smaller line running beside the damaged pipeline. The company said re-pressurizing the line and returning it to service is a “multi-hour process.”
“Once this process is safely completed, some much-needed capacity will be restored for our customers,” the company said in a statement.
Gas is expected to remain in short supply, however, until the larger pipeline is repaired.
