TransGas performing routine work to pipelines east of M.L.

Sep 21, 2017 | 5:50 PM

Fire will light the sky at Meadow Lake Mechanical Pulp on Highway 55 west of Meadow Lake starting tomorrow morning at 8 a.m., but it’s all part of routine pipeline inspection and maintenance in the area according to TransGas.

The company will release natural gas from the lines as part of necessary maintenance according to a media release from SaskEnergy. This will result in a 20-foot flame emitting from a stack on top of the mill.

Casey MacLeod, Senior Communications Officer with the company, said this is an industry standard to reduce the carbon footprint of the gas being released into the air.

“What we have to do is remove the natural gas from that section of pipeline before we safely work on it,” she said. “When it hits the air gets ignited and becomes a flare. It’s actually better for the environment if we burn it off, as opposed to just straight venting it.”