Article content continued

“It will require a significant investment by any pipeline company to do this, but you have to measure that in terms of the incremental benefit,” said Ray Philipenko, Enbridge’s manager of leak detection.

“We’re trying to improve our already strong safety record, so where is this going to take us? And we need to answer those questions. There has to be substantial benefit in order to justify cost.”

Koles said Hifi’s censors cost roughly $10 to $15 per metre in a new pipeline project where trenches have already been dug, calling the expense little more than a rounding error in large projects. There is also an ongoing servicing fee for the company’s software and technical support.

The fibre-optic cables have been installed on a 32-kilometre stretch of Enbridge’s Norlite project in northern Alberta, and will be tested on either end of TransCanada’s Keystone main line, in Hardisty and in Houston, after installation scheduled for next year.

“The scope of this project is to take technology that we’ve tested in the lab . . . and put it out in the real world and find what are the challenges,” said Douglas Robertson, who leads a team that tests new leak detection systems for TransCanada. “The (company’s) commercial group will decide about new pipeline construction.”

Koles said pipeline companies have generally been reluctant to be the first to adopt new technologies, opting to wait until the tools or methods are proven before joining the bandwagon. Having large players on board for a pilot could give the small firm some leverage, he said.

“They’re not well known for adopting new innovation,” Koles said, adding there are good reasons for this “very conservative, very safe” approach. “As a result, it becomes a little challenging on trying to sell innovation into something like a pipeline company.”

Hifi’s expansion efforts are focused on new pipelines and retrofits of existing ones, especially in sensitive areas such as river crossings, spots where erosion is a concern and locations of previous spills.

rsouthwick@postmedia.com