Protecting communities as they grow by undertaking pipeline class location changes (CLCs) is an essential part of being a responsible operator. However, operators often feel constrained by the standard options for compliance (i.e. cut-outs), believing they are a costly and disproportionate response to the actual risk. Customizable waivers utilizing Inspection/Maintenance (I/M) may provide a better operational fit, but it is more difficult to prove their technical rigor, making this pathway uncertain and time-consuming.

Into this gap steps TCI's Envirolock Containment System (ECS). At less than half the cost of cut-out, ECS nevertheless ADDS operational value to your CLC pipeline segment. In place of cut-outs, you can extend your pipeline's useful life by better protecting it against all types of threats. Rather than derating pressure long-term, you can restore it. Instead of I/M programs leaving you vulnerable to modeling blind spots and human errors, you can assure communities that their protection is built-in and immediate, even if an unpredictable event occurs. ECS makes it possible for operators to cut emergency, clean-up, and liability costs on protected segments to virtually zero, while protecting sensitive areas. If you have to spend money on a class location change, what better outcome to invest in than that? With Envirolock, class location changes become a business opportunity rather than a financial drain.

ECS is the future of pipeline class location changes, and that future is beginning now. In partnership with a major Alberta-based pipeline operator, TCI and C-FER Technologies have already conducted the Engineering Assessment required to obtain Envirolock's first experimental license from Alberta Energy Regulator. Our "Ground-Breaking Advancements" demonstration project, funded in part with a $750,000 grant from Alberta Innovates, will lead to Envirolock's first-ever deployment in the summer of 2026. This will facilitate a class location change on our client's active pipeline. From there, TCI looks forward to transforming the landscape of the pipeline integrity industry with many more projects to follow. If you want to be part of that future, we invite you to contact us for more information.