http://www.cumberlandnewsnow.com/Canada---World/Business/2011-07-22...

The Project’s design capacity is approximately 477 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) with potential expandability of up to approximately 1,000 MMcf/d.

CALGARY - It's too soon to tell when a TransCanada Corp. natural gas pipeline that ruptured in northeastern Wyoming this week will be up and running again, a company spokesman said Friday.

"We will need to work with the various agencies that we work with, and the regulator to get approval for a restart," said James Millar. "We don't have a timeline on when that will occur."

Just before 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, operators in Houston detected a pressure drop on the Bison pipeline, which normally indicates a break has occurred.

"Once we noticed the drop in pressure, the nearest downstream valve automatically closed. We manually closed the other valve and the system was isolated within 15 minutes," Millar said.

A blast took place in a remote area of Wyoming, near the city of Gillette. A report from the Gillette News Record said the explosion could be heard 16 kilometres away.

Candy Mooney told the paper the explosion on her ranch felt like an earthquake and roared like a rocket. She watched the scene through binoculars from a nearby hilltop.

The gas did not ignite, and no one was injured, Millar said, adding the nearest residence is around 1.6 kilometres away. The gas that leaked vented into the atmosphere, he said.

The US$630-million Bison pipeline, which carries natural gas from Wyoming to North Dakota, only came into service in January.

"This is a rare occurrence. The last in-ground line break we had in the U.S. was 2007, so these incidents don't occur very often," said Millar.

"That being said, we take it seriously and we're out there on the ground with the emergency responders, with the regulators to try and determine what occurred."

TransCanada (TSX:TRP) is looking to build a US$7-billion extension to its Keystone pipeline, which would connect the Alberta oilsands to the U.S. Gulf Coast.

The Keystone XL proposal has drawn a great deal of concern from landowners and environmentalists, who fear a break on that crude pipeline could spoil drinking water sources.

TransCanada says Keystone XL will give an economic boost to the United States, and reduce its reliance on crude imports from unfriendly regimes. It hopes the U.S. State Department will give it the go-ahead some time late this year.

The Project’s design capacity is approximately 477 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) with potential expandability of up to approximately 1,000 MMcf/d.