EL PASO NATURAL GAS CO

Incident Narrative

ON AUGUST 18, 2020 EL PASO NATURAL GAS COMPANY, L.L.C. (EPNG) 30-INCH L3125 EXPERIENCED AN IN-SERVICE FAILURE AT A 3RD PARTY LINE CROSSING WITH A TARGA PIPELINE. AUGUST 18, 2020 - ALL TIMES ARE CDT: 7:37 AM TARGA EDWARDS RECEIPT METER (041787) FLOW WENT TO ZERO ON EPNG'S SCADA AND EMERGENCY 911 CALL RECEIVED BY MIDLAND DISPATCH [""TANK BATTERY FIRE"" NOTED AT 07:38] 8:03 AM EPNG GAS CONTROL (GC) RECEIVED A CALL FROM AMERICAN PIPELINE PATROL PILOT STATING THERE WAS A FIRE POSSIBLY OVER TARGA'S OR EPNG'S PIPE. 8:07 AM EPNG GC MADE A PHONE CALL TO EPNG DAMAGE PREVENTION SUPERVISOR TO INFORM OF POSSIBLE FIRE. EPNG DAMAGE PREVENTION INITIATES PROCESS TO DISPATCH SOMEONE TO INVESTIGATE. 8:29 AM MIDLAND FIRE DEPARTMENT BATTALION CHIEF (BAT2) ARRIVED ON-SITE. 8:32 AM EPNG GC OBSERVED THAT PRESSURE AT TARGA OWENS RECEIPT RANCH AND TARGA MIDKIFF RECEIPT METER DROPPED TO AT OR NEAR 0 PSI. ROC ALARMS RECEIVED. 8:36 AM SECONDARY EXPLOSION WITNESSED BY MIDLAND FIRE DEPARTMENT (BAT2) 8:39 AM EPNG GC SET TARGA OWENS RECEIPT RANCH CONTROL VALVE TO ZERO TO ENSURE THAT FLOW WOULD NOT OCCUR. THE METER FLOW WAS ALREADY AT ZERO. 8:44 AM EPNG GC ADJUSTED JAMESON POOL CHECK METER (301166) PRESSURE CONTROL VALVE SETPOINT SET TO ZERO TO ENSURE THAT THE VALVE WAS CLOSED TO ISOLATE L3130 FROM L3125. 8:47 AM EPNG LINE PATROLLER ARRIVED AT MUSTER SITE WITH MIDLAND FIRE DEPARTMENT & TARGA ON SITE AND CONTROLLING THE SITE ACCESS 8:56 AM EPNG GC CONFIRMED TARGA MIDKIFF RECEIPT METER FLOW SHUT OFF 9:00 AM EPNG GC SPOKE TO NAVITAS AND ASKED TO TAKE NAVITAS PHILLIPS SPRAYBERRY RECEIPT METER METER FLOW TO ZERO. 9:36 AM MLV 3 ON L3125 SHUT (LOTO OCCURRED SHORTLY AFTER), ISOLATING THE SEGMENT. BASED ON FIELD OBSERVATION OF FIRE DIMINISHING UPON MLV 3 BEING SHUT, EPNG CONFIRMED DISCOVERY OF THE INCIDENT 9:41 AM EPNG PLACED THE CALL TO THE NRC, MAKING OFFICIAL NOTIFICATION OF THE EVENT. 10:05 AM MLV 0.5 (L3130) SHUT-IN & LOTO BY OPERATIONS. (VALVE IS A SECONDARY VALVE TO THE PRESSURE CONTROL VALVE AT JAMESON POOL CHECK) 10:20 AM MLV 4 (L3125) SHUT-IN & LOTO BY OPERATIONS. AT APPROXIMATELY 11:45 AM - 12:00 PM MIDLAND FIRE DEPARTMENT LEFT THE SITE, HOWEVER EPNG DID NOT GAIN ACCESS TO THE SITE DUE TO 24"" TARGA PIPELINE IN THE VICINITY. TARGA WANTED TO BLOW DOWN PIPELINE BEFORE ALLOWING EPNG INTO SITE. AT APPROXIMATELY 4:10 PM TARGA COMPLETED DEPRESSURIZATION OF 24"" PIPELINE AND EPNG OPERATIONS WAS ABLE TO ACCESS RUPTURE SITE & OWENS RANCH TAP FOR LOTO. TARGA PERSONNEL, ONCOR PERSONNEL, AND A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE TEXAS RAILROAD COMMISSION PIPELINE SAFETY DEPARTMENT ALSO ENTERED THE SITE. AFTER COMPLETION OF REPAIRS THE PIPE WAS PLACED BACK INTO SERVICE ON AUGUST 23, 2020. AS A PART OF THE EVENT THERE WERE DAMAGES TO A NEARBY ELECTRIC POWER TRANSMISSION FACILITY. THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE WAS A CROSSING TARGA PIPELINE THAT HAD RUPTURED UNDERNEATH THE EPNG 30-INCH L3125 PIPELINE. THE RUPTURE ON THE EPNG 30-INCH L3125 PIPELINE OCCURRED ON THE PIPE BODY WHERE THE PIPE WALL HAD THINNED TO THE LOWEST MEASURED VALUE OF 0.111"" FROM AN OTHERWISE NOMINAL WALL THICKNESS OF 0.335"". THE LOCALLY THINNED AREA OF THE EPNG PIPE WAS DUE TO HEAT EXPOSURE AND INTERNAL PRESSURE. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF OTHER DAMAGE MECHANISMS OR MATERIAL FAILURES INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, WALL LOSS DUE TO INTERNAL OR EXTERNAL CORROSION, ENVIRONMENTALLY-ASSISTED CRACKING, LONGITUDINAL OR GIRTH WELD ISSUES, DENTS/GOUGES, OR MANUFACTURING DEFECTS.