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Breach of the Mainline Pipeline – Valero update

Following the breach of Mainline Pipeline on 4th October near Nantycaws, Carmarthenshire, booms remain in place on Nant Pibwr to recover kerosene from the pipeline leak.

Valero has continued to deploy significant resources around the clock to deal with this incident and made extremely good progress with in excess of 100,000 litres of kerosene being recovered so far. Three of the four booms are now clear of oil, while a fourth is still recovering product.

“We continue to work with Natural Resources Wales to minimise the risk to the environment and to keep the impact on the wildlife to a minimum. Testing in the surrounding area to ensure there is no migration of oil to other sites is ongoing. Meanwhile the pipeline, which was shut-down and isolated as soon as the incident occurred, remains closed.

“We are working around the clock to restore service on the pipeline, but cannot confirm a date at this time. In the meantime we have made plans to source product from elsewhere during this incident, although there may be minor impact in some areas.

“Running parallel to our efforts to protect the environment and public health, Valero has throughout this incident liaised closely with relevant agencies and Welsh Government to draw up plans to repair the pipeline. Currently plans are in place that will require closure of both carriageways of the A48 at Nantycaws from the evening of Friday 14th October to the morning of Monday 17th October.

“Having considered all possible alternatives, it has been agreed with the relevant agencies that this approach is necessary to ensure the swiftest resolution to the problem with the minimum of disruption to residents, the transport network and the environment. The pipeline is recognised by the UK and Welsh governments to be an important part of the UK energy infrastructure, serving the Midlands and north west England.”

Valero has apologised to all local residents for the inconvenience the incident may have caused, and has reassured them that the company is working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.