Energy Minister Kevin Ramnarine says that the leaking 56-inch Cross Island Pipeline has been repaired. Ramnarine, in media interviews early yesterday morning said the source of the leak was located just after 6 pm on Friday and was completed that same night.
“The NGC (National Gas Company) is now in the process of re-pressuring that line, and we expect that the supply of natural gas to TGU (Trinidad Generation Unlimited) in La Brea and to the Atlantic LNG facilities in Point Fortin will soon return to a state of normalcy,” Ramnarine said.
On Thursday, Atlantic LNG issued a press statement alerting the public that the Cross Island Pipeline had sprung a leak on Wednesday. The 56-inch pipe runs from Guayaguayare on the east coast to the company’s Point Fortin facility. It was that leak that triggered a power conservation request from the T&T Electricity Commission (T&TEC) because Trinidad Generation Unlimited (TGU) had to be shut down.
Minister of Communication Vasant Bharath also issued a statement yesterday, saying that the leak was “fully repaired” and the industrial operations were back to full capacity. In his statement, Bharath said NGC immediately intervened when the leak was discovered to “commence evacuation and repair work.”
“In order to avoid power interruptions for residential and commercial customers, the Trinidad & Tobago Electricity Commission (T&TEC) undertook alternate measures by taking fifteen large industrial customers and 200 recreation grounds off the supply grid,” Bharath said. Bharath said the leak was found at the Picton valve station and is confident that all recreation grounds would be fully lit almost immediately. He said NGC was still at the site up to late yesterday, ensuring the lines were fully re-pressurised.
