The Keystone pipeline, which carries crude oil from Canada to the U.S., caused a leak of approximately 5,000 barrels in the U.S. state of South Dakota, its owner and operator TransCanada announced Thursday.
The amount of the leak is equal to 210,000 gallons (around 795,000 liters), but it is not yet known how it will affect the community of Amherst in Marshall County, South Dakota.
'... a drop in pressure was detected in its [Keystone] operating system resulting from an oil leak that is under investigation,' TransCanada said in a statement.
The company also said in the statement that it safely shut down the pipeline, activated emergency response procedures, and added 'Crews, including TransCanada specialists from emergency management, engineering, environmental management and safety as well as contracted, nationally recognized experts are assessing the situation.'
The leak comes days before the neighboring state Nebraska's Public Service Commission will decide whether to grant permission for the Keystone pipeline's extension - the Keystone XL.
'We have safely transported more than 1.5 billion barrels of crude oil since operations began in 2010,' according to information on TransCanada's website relating to the Keystone pipeline.
The Keystone pipeline runs 4,324 kilometers (2,687 miles) from rich oil sands in Canada's Alberta region, passing across six states in the U.S., to reach the Gulf of Mexico in southern Texas shores. It carries around 700,000 barrels of oil per day on average.
Its extension, Keystone XL, is an $8 billion pipeline to run 1,900 kilometers (1,180 miles) with the capacity to transport an average of 830,000 barrels of crude per day.
Former U.S. President Barack Obama rejected the approval of the project due to environmental reasons, after his administration reviewed it for almost seven years.
President Donald Trump, however, signed an executive action on March 24, allowing the project to be completed.
By Ovunc Kutlu in New York
Anadolu Agency
ovunc.kutlu@aa.com.tr