TC Energy's Keystone pipeline resumes operations

TC Energy's 590,000 bpd Keystone oil pipeline resumed operations on Wednesday, the company said, after it was shut the previous evening for unplanned maintenance as parts of western Canada grappled with frigid winter weather. 

TC said the pipeline, which ships crude from the oil sands province of Alberta to the U.S. Midwest, was restarted safely at around 6:15 p.m. local time on Wednesday (0115 GMT Wednesday) amid extremely cold temperatures at its Hardisty terminal in central Alberta. 

Temperatures in Hardisty were forecast to plunge to -35°C (-31°F) on Wednesday night. Most of Alberta is under an extreme cold warning that is expected to last until the weekend. 

The company said the unplanned maintenance on Keystone began at around 8 p.m. local time on Tuesday (0300 GMT Wednesday). TC's Gulf Coast operations in the U.S. were uninterrupted. 

Canadian heavy crude prices tightened on Tuesday as traders anticipated oil sands production issues relating to the cold snap. On Wednesday, Western Canada Select heavy blend crude traded at $12.10 per bbl below the U.S. crude benchmark, narrowing 5 cents from the previous day. 

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