Enstar Secures Temporary LNG Supply to Restore Whittier Gas

Whittier residents can breathe a sigh of relief after Enstar secured a temporary LNG supply to restore natural gas service. The pipeline failure, which began with an underwater section being smelled by a boater on August 9th near Twentymile River, forced the shutdown of gas flow to Whittier, a community of about 250 people on Prince William Sound.

The utility secured a temporary supply of liquefied natural gas and specialized equipment from Edmonton, Alberta. A container with LNG and a trailer with the equipment crossed the U.S.-Canada border on Thursday and arrived in Portage, where it was connected to a line supplying Whittier on Friday.

Crew members had restored natural gas service to all Whittier customers by Sunday. The temporary supply should last until the pipeline is fixed, according to Enstar spokeswoman Harley Hedlund.

'That was roughly 2,000 miles to get to Alaska,' Hedlund said of the coordinated response between Enstar, the City of Whittier and state and federal partners to restore gas service in a short time period.

Permanent repairs to the pipeline are expected to wrap up by mid-September, Hedlund said.