Amplify gets Army Corp. permission to remove damaged pipeline segments

Amplify Energy Corp. has received US Army Corps of Engineers permitting to proceed with pipeline repair plans that were reviewed and approved by federal pipeline safety regulators earlier this year. Plans include removing damaged pipeline segments from the ocean to allow regulators, parties involved in litigation regarding the 2021 pipeline rupture, and Amplify to complete further analysis of the incident, including anchor impacts to the pipe.

The company estimates the work will take 3-4 weeks to complete after deployment of a repair barge. New segments will be installed subsequently, in accordance with approved repair plans.

A series of safety integrity tests required by federal regulators, including an Oct. 5, 2021, corrective action order issued by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), will follow repair work to the 16-in. OD, 17-mile pipeline. Once PHMSA has reviewed and finalized Amplify’s pipeline restart plans, the company will begin the process of bringing its Beta crude oil field back online, targeting first-quarter 2023.

Beta contained 12-million bbl of estimated proved net oil reserves as of yearend 2021, according to Amplify. The company had been producing roughly 24,000 boe/d from the field before the pipeline rupture.

Amplify last month entered a no-contest plea with the State of California to resolve all criminal matters stemming from the incident (OGJ Online, Sept. 9, 2022), during which the pipeline’s position shifted 105 ft. The segment in question was located 5 miles offshore in 160 ft of water.