Safety overhaul ordered for Enbridge

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CALGARY, Alberta, May 7 (UPI) -- Canadian pipeline company Enbridge has less than four years to update its pump stations after most were cited for violations, a regulator said.

Canada's National Energy Board said 117 of the 125 pump stations in the country operated by Enbridge weren't in line with safety regulations.

NEB spokeswoman Carole Leger-Kubeczek said the company didn't have the means to close certain valves remotely as required by onshore pipeline regulations, The Globe and Mail reports.

The NEB notified Enbridge, however, that it was satisfied with a work plan outlined by Enbridge that calls for phased updates on its pipeline systems through 2016.

Enbridge Vice President for Strategy David Bryson said problems were uncovered in 2011. Pump stations had backup battery power, though NEB requires on-site generators as a redundancy measure.

He was quoted as saying Enbridge believed it was in compliance because of the battery backups.

"Obviously the NEB has clarified that for us, which is why we're putting together an action plan to add additional backup power," he said.

Enbridge plans to build the Northern Gateway pipeline to the West Coast has come up against opposition from provincial and environmental leaders concerned about the safety of transporting oil sands from Alberta province.