RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — A key pipeline for gasoline to the Southern states will not reopen on Sunday as the company previously predicted.
Colonial Pipeline predicted Sunday afternoon that it would pump gasoline again from its lines west of Louisiana on Tuesday.Related: 10 refineries still off line, Colonial Pipeline still shut down as gas prices balloon
Colonial supplies 40 percent of gasoline to the South and Thursday it shut down pipelines west of Lake Charles, Louisana because of damage from Hurricane Harvey.
As of Sunday, nine refineries in Texas that supply Colonial with gas were closed because of Harvey, the U.S. Department of Energy said.
Colonial said it might reopen a line as early as Monday for “distillates,” which includes diesel and fuel oil, but not gasoline.
Colonial stressed in a statement Sunday that its pipeline east of Texas was open, but government officials said Saturday that pumping was intermittent.
The closed refineries in the Gulf region have a combined refining capacity 24.3 percent of total Gulf Coast refining capacity and 12.7 percent of total U.S. refining capacity, the U.S. Department of Energy said Sunday.
Meanwhile, national gas prices jumped to a new record this year of $2.62 for regular gas – just a week ago prices were 30 cents lower, travel guide AAA reported.
In North Carolina alone, gas prices jumped 5 cents since Saturday to $2.60, according to AAA.
Here is the full statement from Colonial on Sunday afternoon:
- Colonial continues to operate from Lake Charles east. We continue to work expeditiously to complete final repairs to our facilities damaged by the storm, and to assess our lines and right of ways to ensure the integrity of our system between Houston and Hebert.
- These assessments are ongoing, and as such, the current estimated restart between Houston and Hebert has been updated to Monday, September 4 for Line 2 (distillates), and Tuesday, September 5 for Line 1 (gasoline).
- Our priority remains the safety of our employees, the environment and the communities where we operate.
- Colonial continues to ship as much gasoline and other refined products as available from Louisiana-based refineries and other refineries on the Colonial system east of Lake Charles, and will continue to do so as markets return to normal.