MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- Xcel Energy, a utility company in Minnesota, said service returned to normal following a natural gas pipeline explosion in Manitoba during the weekend.
Xcel told its more than 1.5 million natural gas consumers they could start turning the heat up in their homes as natural gas services returned to normal following the weekend accident near Winnipeg.
"The company lifted the appeals at intervals to help control demand and ensure safe operations," it said in a statement.
The accident affected downstream consumers in the United States.
The utility company said some of its business customers in Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin agreed to keep conservation plans in place in exchange for reduced rates.
The National Energy Board, Canada's energy regulator, said it was notified Saturday of the incident on a cross-border pipeline operated by TransCanada Pipeline Inc., which didn't release a statement on the blast.
Xcel said Monday the explosion ruptured TransCanada's pipeline in Manitoba. Some services resumed late Sunday.
The cause of the incident is under investigation. No injuries were reported though some homes near the scene of the accident were evacuated as a precaution.
