TC Energy declares force majeure on Keystone oil pipeline deliveries

TC Energy Corp has declared force majeure on shipments on its 590,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) Keystone oil pipeline after a snow storm hit Manitoba over the weekend, disrupting operations, sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

Force majeure is a declaration that unforeseeable circumstances prevented a party from fulfilling a contract.

The storm over the weekend knocked out power to about 3-4 pump stations in Manitoba, affecting pipeline flows, three sources said.

TC Energy did not immediately comment.

The Keystone pipeline system is a critical artery taking Canadian crude from northern Alberta to refineries in the U.S. Midwest.

Manitoba was struck by a major storm packing snow and toppling trees over the weekend.

It was not immediately clear the how much of volumes were affected by TC Energy’s declaration of force majeure.