APSC PS 9, Release to Containment

Location: Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) Pump Station 9, Tank 190. Pump Station 9 sits just off the Richardson Highway, eight miles south of Delta Junction and approximately 110 miles southeast of Fairbanks.
Time/Date: 10:30 a.m. on May 25, 2010
Spill Id: 10309914501
Product/ Quantity: Alaska North Slope Crude. Alyeska Pipeline Service Company (APSC) estimated 108,360 gallons (2,580 barrels) of oil were released to secondary containment.
Cause: During a scheduled maintenance shutdown of the pump station, a loss of power to the power- distribution center resulted in a command circuit designation to open the system relief valve and close the station block valves. The block valves could not close without power, allowing oil to flow from the TAPS line into Tank 190, and then out the tank vents into lined secondary containment. An incident investigation team was assembled to determine the root cause, and the results are pending.