Colonial Pipeline: Gas is on the way to NC

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) – Colonial Pipeline says the company is working “around the clock” to limit disruptions to the region’s gas supply. The company has acknowledged that between 252,000 gallons and 336,000 gallons of gasoline leaked from a pipeline near Helena, Alabama, since the spill was first detected September 9. It’s unclear when the spill actually started.

Tanker trucks have lined S. Front Street in Wilmington today as they wait to fill up at one of Colonial Pipeline’s fuel terminals. The line of trucks have caused traffic delays in the area, but they are trying to help restock gas stations around the region that have limited supplies because of the spill.

The following is a statement Colonial Pipeline issued earlier today:

SUPPLY MOVEMENT AND OPERATIONS UPDATE

Colonial Pipeline issued the following update today regarding shipments of gasoline initiated late last week and in the process of being delivered now (many supplies have already been delivered) to distribution terminals throughout the system.

In an effort to minimize supply disruptions, last week Colonial Pipeline gathered gasoline from Gulf Coast refiners in order to ship supplies on its distillate line to markets throughout the affected region.  As a result, following around-the-clock operations to effect this contingency plan, supplies of gasoline have been delivered and/or are in route to terminal locations in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, and North Carolina.  Delivery times to mainline and stubline terminals in these markets vary.

We continue to be in regular communication with our customers, who are also working on their own individual contingency plans to minimize supply disruptions. This includes trucking and barging fuel from other markets and refineries.

Supply Operations Explained

As described above, gasoline shipments on Lines 1 and 2 (Mainlines) initiated on the system starting last week were delivered this past weekend or are in route to the following markets, with local and regional fuel marketers distributing the product from their terminals to retail stations:

• Boligee, Oxford and Birmingham, Alabama
• Opelousas, Louisiana
• Atlanta, Georgia
• Meridian, Mississippi
• Belton and Spartanburg, South Carolina
• Greensboro and Charlotte, North Carolina

Upon arrival at the mainline terminal locations outlined above, Colonial will deliver fuel directly to local terminal customers or re-originate the fuel down lateral or stublines to additional terminals in several other markets, which are highlighted below. Fuel terminal operators will then determine distribution patterns for each respective market, where gasoline will be off-loaded into tanker trucks for delivery to retail stations.

• Griffin, Macon, Albany, and Bainbridge, Georgia
• Raleigh and Selma, North Carolina
• Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga, Tennessee
• North Augusta, South Carolina

Under normal circumstances, the Colonial Pipeline system transports approximately 2.6 million barrels of refined products each day, with Line 1 accounting for half of this volume. Colonial is currently shipping significant volumes of gasoline on Line 2, the distillate mainline, to help mitigate the impact of the service interruption to Line 1. These changes have allowed all origins and delivery markets to be served along the entire system, albeit in a reduced capacity. For more information on the fuel supply chain, please click here:http://www.refinerlink.com/blog/Pipelines_Ship_Refinery_Products_to_Pump