ATMOS PIPELINE - TEXAS

Incident Narrative

ON MAY 11, 2022, GAS CONTROL NOTICED AN UNANTICIPATED DROP IN PRESSURE ON LINE S2 AT 11:30 AM AND NOTIFIED LOCAL OPERATIONS AT 11:34 AM. UPON NOTIFICATION, OPERATIONS IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TO EVALUATE POTENTIAL CAUSES FOR THE DROP IN PRESSURE AND BEGAN MOBILIZING RESOURCES, WHILE ALSO REACHING OUT TO OFFICIALS ALONG THE SECTIONS OF THE PIPELINE. WITH NO APPARENT OPERATIONAL CAUSE FOR THE PRESSURE DROP, GAS CONTROL TOOK MEASURES CONSISTENT WITH AN ABNORMAL CONDITION AND CLOSED A REMOTE CONTROL VALVE LOCATED AT BUSBY GATE AT 11:43 AM. AFTER DISCUSSIONS WITH LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AT 12:14 PM, ATMOS ENERGY PROCEEDED TO THE LOCATION OF THE INCIDENT AND ARRIVED ONSITE AT 12:54 PM. UPON ARRIVAL, ATMOS ENERGY DISCOVERED A PIPE RUPTURE ADJACENT TO LACY PIGGING STATION. IN ADDITION TO CLOSING THE REMOTE VALVE, LOCAL OPERATIONS CLOSED THE MANUALLY OPERATED VALVE AT THE LACY PIGGING STATION TO FURTHER SEGMENT LINE S2 AND MINIMIZE GAS RELEASE. BASED UPON INFORMATION ATMOS ENERGY RECEIVED FROM LOCAL OFFICIALS, FIRST RESPONDERS CLOSED ROADS AND EVACUATED RESIDENTS IN THE AREA OUT OF AN ABUNDANCE OF CAUTION. ATMOS ENERGY DOES NOT HAVE DETAILS ON THAT EVACUATION BUT HAS ESTIMATED A NUMBER IN RESPONSE TO QUESTION A23. SUPPLEMENTAL: PART A QUESTION 16, THE LINE WAS NO LONGER IN SERVICE AS OF MAY 11, 2022 AT 11:43 AM CST, AND IS BEING ABANDONED. WHILE THIS LINE IS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING REPLACED, ATMOS ENERGY CUSTOMERS ARE BEING SERVED THROUGH OTHER FACILITIES AND NO CUSTOMERS ARE AFFECTED BY THE ABANDONMENT OF THE LINE. FOR THIS REASON, THE RESTART TIME REFLECTED IN THIS QUESTION IS THE SAME TIME THAT THE LINE WAS SHUT DOWN. AFTER THE INCIDENT OCCURRED, ATMOS ENERGY FOLLOWED ITS PROCEDURES AND INSPECTED THE PIPE IN QUESTION. THE METALLURGICAL REPORT RESULTING FROM THE INVESTIGATION CONCLUDED THAT MICROBIOLOGICALLY INFLUENCED CORROSION (MIC) AND CHLORIDE CORROSION WERE THE PRIMARY CORROSION MECHANISMS.