TRANSCONTINENTAL GAS PIPE LINE COMPANY
gas_transmission Incident — — May 8, 2024
Incident Information
| Incident Date | May 8, 2024 |
| Operator | TRANSCONTINENTAL GAS PIPE LINE COMPANY |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_transmission |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 30.74428, -91.26635 |
Cause
| Cause | OTHER INCIDENT CAUSE |
| Subcause | MISCELLANEOUS |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 1 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $10,000 |
| Emergency Response | $0 |
| Other Costs | $210,000 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"AN ACCIDENTAL IGNITION OCCURRED AT STATION 60 ON MAY 8, 2024, AN INTERSTATE TRANSMISSION COMPRESSOR STATION OPERATED BY TRANSCONTINENTAL PIPE LINE COMPANY, LLC (TRANSCO) NEAR JACKSON, LOUISIANA. AT THE TIME, STATION 60 WAS OFFLINE AND ISOLATED FROM OPERATING PIPELINES FOR SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE TO REPLACE INTERNAL VALVE COMPONENTS CONNECTING THE COMPRESSOR UNITS TO THE STATION'S COMMON SUCTION AND DISCHARGE HEADERS. THE INCIDENT HAPPENED AT 6:32 AM, JUST BEFORE SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE WORK WAS TO BEGIN FOR THAT DAY. THE FACILITY'S CONSTRUCTION PROVIDED FOR SINGLE VALVE ISOLATION BETWEEN EACH PIPELINE AND FACILITY PIPING. WORK PLANS ANTICIPATED LEAKAGE AT THESE ISOLATION POINTS AND INCORPORATED AN AIR PURGE PLAN TO MITIGATE POTENTIAL FLAMMABLE ENVIRONMENTS WITHIN PIPING. THE ROOT CAUSE INVESTIGATION DETERMINED THAT THE FOLLOWING CAUSES DIRECTLY LED TO THE CONSEQUENCES OF THIS INCIDENT: 1. FLAMMABLE MATERIAL (NATURAL GAS) LEAKED INTO THE STATION PIPING AROUND THE PROCESS ISOLATION BETWEEN THE STATION AND TRANSMISSION PIPELINES; 2. THE MITIGATIVE AIR FLOW DID NOT MAINTAIN FLAMMABLE GAS CONCENTRATION BELOW THE LEL; 3. THE MITIGATIVE AIR FLOW DRIED INTERNAL SLUDGE DEPOSITS INSIDE THE STATION PIPING; 4. SUSPECTED ACCUMULATION OF PYROPHORIC IRON SULFIDE IN THE INTERNAL SLUDGE DEPOSITS OF THE STATION PIPING IGNITED UPON EXPOSURE TO OXYGEN; AND 5. A PERSON WAS PRESENT WITHIN THE FIRE ZONE AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENTAL IGNITION. TO PREVENT SIMILAR ISSUES FROM RECURRING, WILLIAMS IS COMMITTED TO FOLLOWING THE RECOMMENDATIONS DERIVED FROM THE ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS. THIS INCLUDES PROVIDING COMPREHENSIVE GUIDANCE AND CONDUCTING REFRESHER TRAINING FOR ALL PERSONNEL INVOLVED. BY REINFORCING THE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS NECESSARY FOR SAFE OPERATIONS, WILLIAMS AIMS TO ENSURE THAT PERSONNEL ARE EQUIPPED TO RECOGNIZE POTENTIAL HAZARDS AND RESPOND APPROPRIATELY. PHMSA REVIEWED WILLIAMS RETURN TO SERVICE PLAN AND APPROVED ON JUNE 18TH, 2024. WILLIAMS STATION 60 RETURNED TO SERVICE ON JUNE 22ND AT 9:55 AM"
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.