Tulsa-based Magellan Midstream Partners Inc. is completing testing and maintenance on a section of its anhydrous ammonia pipeline that extends from Monona County, Iowa, south to Greenwood, Neb. The maintenance project began in early May, and was expected to take two to three weeks to complete. According to local news reports, Magellan said the displaced ammonia would be stored in Greenwood while the testing and venting process is underway.
The section of pipeline under testing includes the site of a fatal ammonia leak that occurred near Tekamah, Neb., on Oct. 17, 2016, and claimed the life of a local farmer, Phillip W. Hennig (GM Oct. 21, 2016). The leak resulted in evacuations and road closures near the site that lasted for days, with the pipeline finally returning to normal operations on Nov. 17 (GM Nov. 18, 2016).
Magellan’s ammonia pipeline stretches 1,100 miles, from Borger, Texas, to Mankato, Minn., and transports ammonia to 13 terminals located in Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, and Minnesota. The pipeline is fed by ammonia production facilities at Borger and at Enid and Verdigris, Okla.