Imperial Oil says it contained a pipeline spill at Cold Lake in Alberta

Imperial Oil

16/04/2026 17:50

April 16 (Reuters) - Canadian oil producer Imperial Oil IMO.TO said a bitumen emulsion spill occurred last week from a pipeline at its Cold Lake lease area in Alberta and was immediately contained.

"On April 9, 2026, a release of bitumen emulsion (which includes bitumen and produced water) occurred from a pipeline within Imperial’s Cold Lake lease area. Imperial teams responded immediately, the release was stopped and was contained," the company said in an email to Reuters on Thursday.

The cause of the incident remains under investigation, the company said, adding that its Cold Lake facility continues to operate.

Local media reported that the spill volume was about 843,000 liters, equivalent to about 5,300 barrels, a figure Reuters could not immediately verify.

The company said it has trained personnel assessing the site and is continuing to monitor the area.

 (Reporting by Anushree Mukherjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Nia Williams)

 ((anushree.ashishMukherjee@thomsonreuters.com;))