EL PASO NATURAL GAS CO

gas_transmission Incident —

Incident Information

Report Date
OperatorEL PASO NATURAL GAS CO
Commodity—
Pipeline Typegas_transmission

Location

State
Coordinates32.60694, -103.30833

Cause

CauseEQUIPMENT FAILURE
Subcause—

Casualties

Fatalities0
Injuries0

Costs

Property Damage
Lost Commodity
Public/Private Damage
Emergency Response
Environmental Remediation
Other Costs

Location Map

Incident Narrative

AT 10:09AM MST ON FEBRUARY 5, 2023, A FAULTY HAZARDOUS GAS DETECTOR IN THE CONTROL ROOM OF EL PASO NATURAL GAS (EPNG) EUNICE B COMPRESSOR STATION CAUSED THE COMPRESSOR STATION TO UNDERGO AN EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN (ESD). DURING THE SHUTDOWN, SUCTION VALVE VB1 DID NOT CLOSE FULLY CAUSING GAS TO CONTINUE TO VENT. THIS LED TO A RELEASE OF 5,459 MCF GAS RELEASE. AT 11:03AM, AN EPNG EMPLOYEE ARRIVED AT SITE, CLOSED THE VALVE, STOPPING THE GAS RELEASE, AND RETURNED THE STATION TO NORMAL OPERATION. THERE WERE NO INJURIES OR FATALITIES. THE INVESTIGATION INTO THIS VALVE MALFUNCTION DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS FLAWED PROGRAMMING IN THE PLC LOGIC WHICH HAS BEEN RESOLVED.

About This Pipeline Incident

Pipeline incident data is reported to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). All significant incidents involving fatalities, injuries, or property damage over $50,000 must be reported.

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