KINDER MORGAN TEXAS PIPELINE CO

Incident Narrative

ON JULY 28, 2023 KINDER MORGAN OPERATIONS WAS MADE AWARE OF AUDIBLE GAS LEAK. A KINDER MORGAN CRUDE AND CONDENSATE (KMCC) CORROSION TECHNICIAN WAS WORKING AT A SHARED SITE WITH INDEX 145 MLV 759 AND HEARD WHAT APPEARED TO SOUND LIKE A GAS LEAK. OPERATIONS WERE DISPATCHED TO VALVE SITE. OPERATIONS MEASURED THE LEAK AND DETERMINED IT WAS DUE TO A VALVE STEM LEAK. OPERATIONS GATHERED FURTHER INFORMATION AND SECURED THE SITE. PLANS WERE MADE TO BEGIN EXCAVATION ON JULY 31, 2023 TO FURTHER INVESTIGATE. INVESTIGATION DETERMINED A VALVE PACKING REPAIR WOULD NOT BE SUFFICIENT. THE VALVE WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED DUE AGE AND INABILITY TO REPACK THE VALVE STEM. THE STYLE OF VALVE IS AN OLDER MODEL WALWORTH GATE VALVE. THE ORIGINAL COST ESTIMATE TO REPLACE THE VALVE WAS $120,000. THE PIPELINE INDEX 145 SERVES SEVERAL MAJOR POWER PLANTS. DUE TO LOW SEVERITY OF THE LEAK AND ERCOT GUIDANCE, AN OUTAGE TO REPLACE THE VALVE WAS SCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER WHEN DEMAND WOULD NOT BE AS HIGH. DUE TO UNFORESEEN INSTALLATION CHANGES IN SCOPE OF WORK TO REPLACE THE NEW VALVE, THE COST AS OF SEPTEMBER 15, 2023 WERE FORECASTED TO EXCEED $139,700. THIS INCIDENT AND REPAIR IS NOW DEEMED PHMSA REPORTABLE DUE TO THE REPAIR COST EXCEEDING $139,700. TOTAL UNINTENTIONAL GAS LOSS OF 240 MCF.