Work on expanding Canada's Trans Mountain oil pipeline has halted for more than two weeks due to safety concerns, the government-owned corporation said on Dec. 17.
Trans Mountain CEO Ian Anderson cited multiple worker safety incidents during the past two months and said the shutdown was voluntary. Construction was scheduled to halt on Dec. 18 and resume Jan. 4.
The Canada Energy Regulator said a worker was seriously hurt at a Trans Mountain site in Burnaby, British Columbia on Dec. 15. In October, a worker was killed near Edmonton, Alberta.
The pipeline carries oil from Alberta to the British Columbia coast, where it is loaded and shipped to U.S. refineries.
Expansion of the pipeline, which the Canadian government owns, is 20% complete. It will twin the existing 1,150-km pipeline and nearly triple capacity to 890,000 bbl/d.
The project is expected to finish in late 2022.