CALGARY, Alberta, May 6 (UPI) -- Federal regulators in Canada said they were responding to a leak from a natural gas transmission line operated by pipeline company TransCanada.
The National Energy Board said a leak was reported from the company's Sieu Creek gas transmission line during planned maintenance operations.
"Operations on the pipeline were suspended immediately and the incident contained," the NEB said in a statement. "Company cleanup operations began immediately."
The regulator said an undetermined amount of product was released on agricultural land northeast of Calgary.
There was no statement on the incident from TransCanada or provincial regulators. An emergency response system set up by the Alberta government show no active alerts.
The leak comes less than a week after TransCanada joined pipeline companies Enbridge and Kinder Morgan in committing a combined $600,000 to fund laboratory research and field trials to find ways to discover crude oil or other hydrocarbon leaks. Technologies under consideration include infrared camera and other detection systems that are suitable for mounting on light aircraft or helicopters.
In making the announcement, TransCanada Vice President of Pipeline Safety Vern Meier said pipelines "are widely accepted as the safest and most efficient way to transport oil and gas."
The NEB said its officers were on site to monitor the response to the Alberta release and start an incident investigation.
