SEARSMONT — An ice blockage that was partially caused by the extreme cold is the reason Spectra Energy’s Searsmont gas compressor station blew a valve just before midnight on New Year’s Eve, releasing approximately 71,098 cubic feet of natural gas into the atmosphere.

Engineers determined that ice stopped one of the station valves from closing properly, which allowed gas to vent from the Maritimes and Northeast Pipeline through the emergency shutdown vent stack, said Spectra Energy spokesman Susan Waller, Jan. 20.

That stack is designed to allow for the safe venting of gas to protect the public, employees and the facility from damage, she said.

The Houston-based Spectra owns the majority shares of the pipeline, which runs from Nova Scotia to Massachusetts.

On Dec. 31, the emergency shutdown valve blew between 11:50 and 11:55 p.m., opening a 50-minute window when the gas released into the air. The pipeline control valves were closed remotely by engineers in Houston at 11:58 p.m., and the compressor station was shut down at 12:37 p.m., the company said.

“Due to the ice blockage one of the station valves did not close properly and allowed additional gas to vent from the pipeline through the ESD stack,” said Waller, Jan. 20.

The public is invited to an informational meeting Jan. 21 at the Searsmont Community Building, 37 Main Street South, 6 p.m., to discuss the incident.

The meeting is being held at the suggestion of the Searsmont Fire Department, so that citizens can air questions and concerns. Maritimes and Northeast will be sending several representatives: Don Thompson, area manager for the Richmond compressor station; Cara Bailey, senior right-of-way specialist (her role is to communicate with landowners); and Marylee Henley, director of stakeholder outreach.

The goal is “to educate people on how a compressor station works and what to expect from it,” said Henley, earlier this month.

”I want to have an informal meeting so people can be informed,” said Searsmont Fire Chief James Ames.

The pipeline

Maritimes and Northeast Pipeline is a 684-mile transmission pipeline that transports gas from offshore Nova Scotia to markets in Atlantic Canada and northeastern United States.

A joint venture of Spectra Energy Partners (77.53 percent), Emera Inc. (12.92 percent), and ExxonMobil (9.55 percent), Maritimes is headquartered in Halifax and operates an additional business office in Waltham, Massachusetts.

The Maritimes system consists of an approximately 30"/24" diameter underground mainline running from Goldboro, Nova Scotia, through New Brunswick to the U.S. border at Baileyville. It continues through Maine and New Hampshire into Massachusetts where it connects with the existing North American pipeline grid at Dracut, Massachusetts. The pipeline also extends from Methuen to Beverly, Massachusetts.

The venting alarmed residents throughout the area, as news of the noise, described as a jet taking off in flight, spread quickly on Facebook.

The Searsmont Fire Department responded, but its role was standby; if an explosion occurred, firefighters would have evacuated people from their homes, said Assistant Fire Chief Wayne Woodbury.

The gas that runs through rural Maine in a pipeline measuring approximately 30 inches in diameter originates off of Nova Scotia’s shore near Sable Island. It is pumped from beneath the Atlantic and then routed via pipeline to customers in the Maritimes, New Hampshire, Boston and parts of Maine. There are lateral stations in Veazie, Bucksport and Westbrook.

The Maritimes and Northeast Pipeline is a subsidiary of Spectra Energy, which owns 77 percent of the venture. Exxon Mobil and Emera Inc., own the remaining shares. The pipeline was constructed in 2008-2009, and doubled the capacity of the Maritimes system. It is designed to transport approximately 785 million cubic feet of gas a day and the actual volumes transported fluctuate on a daily basis, said Waller.

Related stories

Natural gas line in Searsmont blows pressure valve, alarms area residents with noise

Spectra Energy compressor station offline while engineers investigate Searsmont gas release

Editorial Director Lynda Clancy can be reached at lyndaclancy@penbaypilot.com; 706-6657.