KINDER MORGAN TEXAS PIPELINE CO

Incident Narrative

ON JANUARY 12TH AT 3:25 PM KINDER MORGAN TEXAS PIPELINE (KMTP) RECEIVED A CALL OF A POSSIBLE GAS LEAK FROM A CENTERPOINT ENERGY EMPLOYEE. AT THE TIME IT WAS UNKNOWN WHETHER THIS LEAK WAS FROM THE KMTP LINE OR THE CENTERPOINT ENERGY LINE BECAUSE BOTH LINES RUN IN PARALLEL. ON JANUARY 13TH AT 9:47AM, IN AN EFFORT TO LOCATE THE POTENTIAL GAS LEAK, KMTP PROCEEDED TO BLOWDOWN THE LINE AND SUBSEQUENTLY EXPOSED THE PIPELINE SEGMENT IN ORDER TO FIND THE LEAK. THE LEAK WAS CONFIRMED TO BE ON THE KMTP LINE ON THE SAME DAY AT 7:22 PM. KMTP BEGAN THE REMEDIATION ACTIVITIES ON JANUARY 14TH, AND THE 7 FT SEGMENT OF PIPE WAS CUT OUT AND REPLACED. THE CUT-OUT SEGMENT OF THE PIPE WAS SENT TO THE METALLURGY LAB FOR FURTHER ASSESSMENT. THE METALLURGICAL REPORT CONCLUDED THAT EXTERNAL CORROSION CAUSED THE LEAK IN THE PIPE. HOWEVER, THE CORROSION MECHANISM COULD NOT BE DETERMINED THROUGH THE METALLURGICAL ANALYSIS. KMTP CONDUCTED AN IN-LINE INSPECTION ON THE PIPELINE PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT BUT DID NOT RECEIVE THE FINAL REPORT UNTIL AFTER THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. THE IN-LINE INSPECTION DID DETECT, AND REPORT, METAL LOSS AT THE FAILURE LOCATION. KMTP PUT THE LINE BACK IN SERVICE ON JANUARY 14TH.