TARGA RESOURCES OPERATING LLC

Incident Narrative

FIELDWOOD ENERGY IDENTIFIED A LIQUID HYDROCARBON LEAK PRODUCING A SMALL SHEEN IN THE VICINITY OF ITS PIPELINE. FIELDWOOD'S PIPELINE IS IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO TARGA'S PIPELINE. FIELDWOOD WAS UNDER THE ASSUMPTION THAT THE LEAK WAS ORIGINATING FROM THEIR LINE AND BEGAN THE PROCESS OF RESPONDING AN REPAIRING THE LEAK. A DIVE BOAT WAS DISPATCHED AND UPON INVESTIGATION DETERMINED THE LEAK ORIGINATED FROM TARGA'S. FIELDWOOD NOTIFIED TARGA THAT THE LEAK WAS FROM TARGA'S PIPELINE. TARGA USED THE DIVE BOAT DISPATCHED ON LOCATION BY FIELDWOOD TO COMPLETE THE REPAIR TO TARGA'S PIPELINE. TARGA'S PIPELINE INVOLVED IN THIS INCIDENT WAS PREVIOUSLY BLOCKED IN AND BLED DOWN AND NOT IN SERVICE AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. PREPARATION WAS UNDERWAY TO DE-COMMISSION AN UPSTREAM PIPELINE CONNECTED TO THIS PIPELINE SEGMENT. THE PIPELINE HAD NOT BEEN PIGGED. CONDENSATE REMAINED IN THE LINE. REPAIR WAS COMPLETED TO THE PIPELINE BY THE INSTALLATION OF A BOLTED-ON CLAMP. THE INCIDENT WAS ATTRIBUTED TO A PIN-HOLE LEAK SO SMALL THAT DAMAGE TO THE CONCRETE COATING WAS UNDISCERNIBLE. ONCE THE CONCRETE COATING WAS REMOVED, THE EXACT LOCATION OF THE PINHOLE LEAK WAS NOT ABLE TO BE IDENTIFIED. PAST PIN-HOLE LEAKS IN THIS GATHERING SYSTEM HAVE BEEN ATTRIBUTED TO MICROBIOLOGICAL CORROSION. WITHOUT REMOVAL OF THE SECTION OF PIPE, DETERMINATION OF THE ROOT CASE CANNOT BE ASCERTAINED WITH CERTAINTY. BUT SINCE THE CONCRETE COATING WAS INTACT WITH NO VISIBLE SIGN OF LOSS OF COATING, THE FAILURE IS ATTRIBUTED TO MICROBIOLOGICAL CORROSION.