TRANSWESTERN PIPELINE COMPANY LLC
gas_transmission Incident —
Incident Information
| Report Date | — |
| Operator | TRANSWESTERN PIPELINE COMPANY LLC |
| Commodity | — |
| Pipeline Type | gas_transmission |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 35.42620, -108.23610 |
Cause
| Cause | NATURAL FORCE DAMAGE |
| Subcause | — |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | — |
| Lost Commodity | — |
| Public/Private Damage | — |
| Emergency Response | — |
| Environmental Remediation | — |
| Other Costs | — |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
ON DECEMBER 18, 2022, AT APPROXIMATELY 19:30 MOUNTAIN TIME, THERE WAS A RELEASE OF NATURAL GAS AT THE THOREAU STATION N0. 5 ON THE TRANSWESTERN SYSTEM 30 MILES NORTHWEST OF GRANTS, NEW MEXICO IN MCKINLEY COUNTY. OPERATIONS RESPONDED TO CALL OUT FROM GAS CONTROL. AFTER ARRIVING AT THE STATION, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE ESD BLOWDOWN VALVE OPENED AFTER THE POWER GAS PILOT LINE FROZE CAUSING THE STATION TO SHUT DOWN AND RELEASED NATURAL GAS. THE ESD WAS SHUT MANUALLY SECURING THE RELEASE. THE FROZEN LINE WAS REPLACED, AND THE PILOT LINE WAS PUT BACK IN SERVICE. AT 22:00 MOUNTAIN TIME, IT WAS DETERMINED THE UNINTENTIONAL GAS RELEASE AMOUNT WAS GOING TO BE OVER THE 3 MMCF REPORTABLE QUANTITY CRITERIA. THE STATION WAS RESET AND AT APPROXIMATELY 23:45 MOUNTAIN TIME, THE STATION WAS BACK ONLINE. THIS WAS AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. TO PREVENT THIS FROM OCCURRING IN THE FUTURE, OPERATIONS WILL INSTALL WATER KNOCK OUT EQUIPMENT AND LARGER TUBING.
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.