Aurora

This status refers to conditions that continue to be monitored by the CER. This happens when:

• condition filings have not yet been received by the CER; or,
• filings have been received but are under review or do not yet meet requirements; or,
• a project is not completed and it has conditions, which have not been met; or,
• a project has a post-construction condition, but a requirement has not yet been completed; or,
• some conditions may be active indefinitely or refer to the continued operation of a pipeline.

This status refers to:

• condition requirements that have been satisfied, and no further submissions from the company are required; or
• conditions whose filings or actions apply to a specific phase that have been fulfilled as the phase is completed (i.e. a specific filing during construction phase). Note: comments on the required actions can still be received.

As defined in the OPR, “incident” means an occurrence that results in:

1. the death or serious injury to a person;
2. a significant adverse effect on the environment;
3. an unintended fire or explosion;
4. an unintended or uncontained release of low vapour pressure (LVP) hydrocarbons in excess of 1.5 m³
5. an unintended or uncontrolled release of gas or high vapour pressure (HVP) hydrocarbons;
6. the operation of a pipeline beyond its design limits as determined under CSA Z662 or CSA Z276 or any operating limits imposed by the CER.

As defined in the PPR, “incident” is defined as an occurrence that results or could result in a significant adverse effect on property, the environment, or the safety of persons. For the purposes of incident reporting in the PPR, events that fall under this definition include, but are not limited to:

1. the death or serious injury to a person;
2. a significant adverse effect on the environment;
3. an unintended fire or explosion that results in or has the potential to result in damage to company, public/crown or personal property;
4. an unintended or uncontained release of low vapour pressure (LVP) hydrocarbons in excess of 1.5 m³
5. an unintended or uncontrolled release of gas, HVP hydrocarbons, hydrogen sulfide or other poisonous gas; or
6. the operation of a plant beyond its design limits or any limits imposed by the CER.

Companies self-report incidents and are expected to take a precautionary approach in doing so. This means that even when there is doubt as to whether an incident should be reported, the company must report it. The approach is, “When in doubt, report.” This is consistent with CER-regulated companies’ responsibility for anticipating, preventing, mitigating and managing incidents of any size or duration.

The CER reviews all reported incidents to assess whether companies have taken the appropriate corrective actions and to identify potential trends in incidents. Each incident is given a status indicating the current stage of the CER's incident review.

Operations and maintenance activities include:

1. All activities necessary to safely operate an existing pipeline;
2. Maintenance activities, upgrades or repairs to an existing pipeline or part of a pipeline that do not increase the approved maximum operating pressure (MOP), the stress level or diameter of the pipeline; or
3. Physically removing an existing section of pipe up to 5 km in length, and putting a new section of pipe in its place, as long as this replacement does not increase the approved MOP, stress level or diameter of the pipeline.

Where any of the following restrictions exist, the company must apply to the Commission in accordance with the CER Act and the related regulations and may not carry out the proposed activity until approval from the Commission has been obtained. The restrictions apply where:

1. The work includes welding on an in-service pipeline by a pipeline company that has not previously performed in-service welding in accordance with the requirements of CSA Z662-15, Clause 7.17, ‘Welding on In-Service Piping’, or the equivalent clause in the most recent edition of CSA Z662; or
2. The work involves the construction of an aerial crossing, excluding work on company owned or leased land relating to facilities (e.g., terminal stations, processing plants, compressor/pump stations).

O&M activities do not include:

1. Upgrades that result in increases above previously approved and specified levels to:
   • the MOP,
   • stress levels,
   • the diameter of the pipeline, and/or
   • airborne emissions or noise levels.
2. "Looping" (i.e., adding pipe parallel or adjacent to, and interconnected with, an existing pipeline for the general purpose of increasing capacity);
3. Construction of a new pipeline; or
4. Deactivation (for longer than 12 months), reactivation (where a pipeline has been deactivated for more than 12 months), decommissioning, or abandonment.