Yesterday, there was a report of a possible leak on the Refinery to Auckland
Pipeline, which resulted in a temporary shutdown of the line while
investigations were carried out.
It has been confirmed that this was a false alarm. The pipeline has been
restarted and is operational.
Based on reports from industry experts Quest Integrity and Worley Parsons
which confirm that the September 2017 incident resulted from physical damage
to the pipeline caused by an as yet unknown third party using a mechanical
excavator or ''digger'', the certifying pipeline authority recently approved
increasing the pressure of the pipeline from 69 to 75 bar (87 bar prior to
the incident).
We are pleased to report that this pressure increase, together with early
completion of the second phase of the pipeline capacity upgrade project (an
extra pump at the Kumeu pump station), means that the pipeline is now running
higher throughputs than prior to the September 2017 incident. We are hopeful
that the higher throughput will assist our customers establishing robust
stock levels at Wiri.
Further information:
Greg McNeill
Communications and External Affairs Manager
T: 094325115; M: 021 873623; E: greg.mcneill@refiningnz.com
End CA:00311709 For:NZR Type:MKTUPDTE Time:2017-12-11 08:31:41