Structural issues caused by “bending stress on the pipe” and “a weld flaw” are to blame for the Keystone Pipeline’s oil spill in rural northern Kansas earlier this winter, according to pipeline operator TC Energy.
Just over two months after the spill, the Canadian company released the results of a mechanical analysis on the failed pipe on Thursday.
“The weld flaw led to a crack that propagated over time as a result of bending stress fatigue, eventually leading to an instantaneous rupture,” the company wrote in a press release.
