Important info to educate & update the readers about the pipeline
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document.write(CETransPubCode("TP Saint John")); NB Telegraph-Journal | Saint John
As published on page B1 on November 26, 2005
Ocean pipeline a possibility: expert
By John Chilibeck
Telegraph-Journal
Laying a natural gas pipeline from east to west Saint John under the Bay of Fundy would be expensive but doable, says a leading expert.
Shawn Kenny is an engineering professor at Memorial University in Newfoundland. The PhD has more than 15 years experience in pipeline and ocean engineering and has worked on plenty of design projects for the pipeline industry.
When he heard that Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline was trying to decide where to put its new 30-inch diameter pipeline in Saint John, he agreed to offer some insight.
Admittedly, he does not know the Bay of Fundy or the waters outside Saint John Harbour that well. But he says ocean pipelines are being used in other places with strong currents.
"We have built pipelines in the Arctic and they are operating," he said Friday on the phone from St. John's, Newfoundland. "And those are harsh environments."
The company's number one option is to put the pipeline on land, and its preferred route goes right through Rockwood Park, much to the chagrin of the public and Saint John common council. Officials with Maritimes & Northeast say the shorter route under the Bay poses too many challenges, not least of which are the high tides. They deny extra cost is the main factor.
Mr. Kenny says strong currents mean putting in a pipeline would be difficult, but they are "not necessarily show-stoppers." A pipeline near shore would probably have to be buried, and there is a risk that strong tides could remove silt over the years, exposing the pipeline unless proper maintenance was kept up. Digging up the silt on the degraded seabed could also dredge up heavy metals if the area was contaminated, creating further difficulties. And he also cautioned that the pipe would have to withstand the weight of a ship's anchor dropping on top of it or dragging it. Underwater pipelines are made with thicker steel to withstand water pressure, but a pipeline in a heavy traffic area such as the Bay of Fundy might also have to be reinforced with concrete mats or protected by a pile of heavy rocks.
"It's an engineering problem. You can do it. You just have to be aware of the problems associated with that."
The main considerations are cost and safety. Mr. Kenny said offshore pipelines are always more expensive than the onshore variety, though he couldn't give a price difference because there are so many variables involved.
For instance, he questioned whether Maritimes & Northeast would be able to lease the equipment needed, such as large barges, to lay the pipeline. Right now, much of the equipment is tied up in the Gulf of Mexico, where oil and gas companies are trying to fix the damage caused by the worst hurricane season on record. It's a question of supply and demand, he says, with the cost going up based on the availability of the equipment.
"Deep off-shore barges cost a quarter of a million dollars a day," he said. "I'm not sure what the price would be for a near-shore operation, but it's not $100 a day, that's for sure."
Mr. Kenny said the time crunch is also a big factor. Maritimes & Northeast signed a contract with Irving Oil to have the pipeline ready by 2008, when the new liquefied natural gas terminal opens. If it doesn't clear regulations and build the pipe on time, it wouldn't meet its contractual obligations.
Contacted Friday, an official with Maritimes & Northeast declined to discuss details about its study of the ocean route option.
But Stephen Rankin says the availability of equipment was not considered in the company's analysis.
"We did the analysis and identified some challenges. That's all were prepared to say about it right now."
The National Energy Board in Calgary will have the final say where the pipeline should go. Mr. Rankin said the company would provide its information on the ocean option to the board as part of the application process.
