Amplify Energy Corp. has received a permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers to proceed with repair plans that were reviewed and approved by federal pipeline safety regulators earlier this year. The damaged pipeline caused a 25,000-gallon spill of crude oil into the waters off Huntington Beach, California in October last year.
The repair will involve removing the damaged segments of the pipeline from the ocean floor and the installation of replacement segments. The company estimates the work will take approximately three to four weeks to complete after a repair barge is deployed.
After the pipeline is repaired, it will undergo a series of safety integrity tests as required by both federal pipeline safety regulations and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) corrective action order. Thereafter, Amplify anticipates that PHMSA will review the pipeline restart plan.
Once finalized, the company will begin the process of bringing the Beta field back online, likely in the first quarter of 2023.
The removed damaged segments of the pipeline will be analysed by Amplify, regulators and the parties in litigation related to vessels that allegedly dragged their anchors and struck the pipeline on January 25, 2021.
‘In August and September this year, Amplify resolved all criminal and financial matters stemming from the leak.
