With their 36 inch pipeline currently operating at just 55 percent capacity, FortisBC has begun to seek other options to bolster their natural gas supply.
While repairs on the pipeline following a freak explosion near Shelley have been completed, the pipeline’s flow must be slowly tapered back in to service.
NEB restrictions will force the line and it’s 30 inch partner to cap at 80 percent capacity during the winter months, far below demand.
As a result, FortisBC has begun importing fuel from an Alberta pipeline, and has now received permission from the BC Utilities Commission to purchase natural gas on the open market.