After a pipeline explosion near Prince George on Tuesday, October 9, FortisBC is requesting all of their natural gas customers across the province to turn down their thermostats as well as reduce use of all other natural gas appliances. FortisBC says the incident affects the Enbridge pipeline that feeds their system and are anticipating decreased energy flow and potential loss of service.

In a statement the company said although FortisBC’s system is not damaged, they are working hard to continue to provide natural gas to homes and businesses. They are looking to add to their supply by bringing in gas through the TransCanada line from Alberta and activating their Tilbury and Mt Hayes liquefied natural gas plants, and have also talked to industrial customers about switching to alternative fuel sources.

FortisBC says they have approximately one million gas customers, and it is estimated about 70 per cent of these customers have the potential to temporarily lose gas supply due to the incident.

The impacted Enbridge lines are the two main lines used to move gas into FortisBC’s gas system to serve customers in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.

Regular updates will be provided as more information becomes available. You can visit FortisBC’s website to stay up to date.