PIEDMONT NATURAL GAS CO INC
gas_transmission Incident — — August 4, 2023
Incident Information
| Incident Date | August 4, 2023 |
| Operator | PIEDMONT NATURAL GAS CO INC |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_transmission |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 36.15328, -81.86421 |
Cause
| Cause | CORROSION FAILURE |
| Subcause | EXTERNAL CORROSION |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $2,800,000 |
| Emergency Response | $122,425 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"A GAS ODOR WAS REPORTED BY THE PUBLIC NEAR SERVICE LINE 281. DURING THE FIELD LEAK INVESTIGATION, A LEAK WAS DISCOVERED ON A 4"" STEEL PIPE INDICATING THE PRESENCE OF CORROSION. CATHODIC PROTECTION READINGS WERE ALSO PERFORMED FOR SEVERAL HUNDRED FEET IN THE AREA WHICH SHOWED POSITIVE VOLTAGE READINGS ON THE PIPE AS WELL AS EVIDENCE OF A DAMAGED UNDERGROUND TELEPHONE CABLE. THE LEAK LOCATION REQUIRED DAILY LANE CLOSURE FOR WORK ACTIVITIES RELATED TO THE REPAIR. TO ISOLATE THE LEAK, TWO STOPPLES WERE INSTALLED TO CONTINUE SERVING CUSTOMERS NATURAL GAS. A TOTAL OF 350 FEET OF NEW PIPELINE WAS INSTALLED TO REMOVE THE CORROSION. AFTER PIPE REPLACEMENT, A HYDROSTATIC TEST WAS PERFORMED TO ENSURE PIPELINE INTEGRITY. DURING ANALYSIS, THE STRAY CURRENT SOURCE CONFIRMED TO BE A TELEPHONE CABLE. UNABLE TO DETERMINE A GAS VOLUME DUE TO THE PINHOLE SIZE OF THE LEAK."
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.