BPL: 10,000 gallons spilled from ruptured pipeline

BPL: 10,000 gallons spilled from ruptured pipeline
The Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) headquarters.

NASSAU, BAHAMAS- Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) lost 10,000 gallons of diesel fuel when a contractor ruptured a major pipeline last week.

BPL Communications # Quincy Parker said approximately 235 gallons of clean diesel fuel was recovered from the damaged pipeline, and 21,660 gallons of oil/water mixture was recovered from the ground.

He told Eyewitness News Online repairs on the pipe are expected to be completed today amid ongoing clean-up efforts to address outstanding contamination.

The clean diesel fuel has been added to the storage diesel at Clifton for generation use.

Parker said the oil/water mixture is also currently being stored at Clifton Pier, but will ultimately be disposed of.

According to BPL, the spill was reported at 12.30pm after the contractor’s equipment made contact with a fuel line that runs from BHPS to Clifton Pier Power Station (CPPS).

Parker said the pipe was immediately shut off, adding the damaged sections have been isolated and removed.

“The line was shut down subsequent to the spill,” read a statement last week.

It continued: “A BPL Security Supervisor received a call from the security guards posted at BHPS. Those officers reported that a trucking and excavation contractor had come to the security booth and reported that while excavating a property on Carmichael just west of Carmichael Primary School, his equipment came into contact with a BPL fuel line, which resulted in an oil spill.”

In the initial statement, the company stated it has filed a police report over the incident.

Yesterday, Parker declined any further comment on the matter.