WATCH: A new report says there are serious risks involved in Kinder Morgan’s proposed expansion of a tank farm on Burnaby Mountain. John Daly reports.
A new study says Kinder Morgan has underestimated the fire risk associated with a Burnaby tank farm that is part of the Trans Mountain pipeline proposal.
Trans Mountain wants to expand the number of tanks on Burnaby Mountain to 26, not far from Forest Grove Elementary and down the hill from Simon Fraser University.
Commissioned by the City of Burnaby and conducted by a British researcher, the study says “the risk assessment carried out on behalf of the applicant contains several serious deficiencies, the most important of which is that it fails to give due regard to the credible worst case scenario of tank boil-over and incorrectly states that the worst case is a pool fire.”
READ MORE: Expert drops out of Trans Mountain review
The report predicted the frequency of a boil-over fire, which could sending burning oil hundreds of metres into the air, in a terminal with 26 tanks is 1 in 2,000.
The Burnaby Fire Dept. has voiced similar concerns about additional tanks.
“It puts each tank closer to the other tanks, creating a lot of restrictions in how emergency responders can locate themselves to try to prevent or extinguish fire,” said Dep. Chief Chris Bowcock of the Burnaby Fire Department. “Also, it puts those tanks at great risk of heat exposure and then consequential fires where a single fire can develop into larger multiple-tank fire.”
WATCH: Trans Mountain Pipeline Risk Assessment
Asked for a response, Trans Mountain was not available for an interview with Global News.
In an email response, Ali Hounsell of Trans Mountain wrote, “There’s nothing more important than the safety of our neighbours…a boil-over scenario is discussed in our report…but with proper tank design and management…determines the risk to be extremely low.”
In 2005, the Buncefield oil storage fire and explosion engulfed 20 large tanks and burned for days.
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