TRANSCOLORADO PIPELINE CO.
gas_transmission Incident — — May 6, 2017
Incident Information
| Incident Date | May 6, 2017 |
| Operator | TRANSCOLORADO PIPELINE CO. |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_transmission |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 36.73482, -107.96610 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | MALFUNCTION OF CONTROL/RELIEF EQUIPMENT |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $1,150 |
| Emergency Response | $2,897 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
A LIGHTNING STRIKE AT TRANSCOLORADO GAS TRANSMISSION (TCGT) COMPANY'S BLANCO COMPRESSOR STATION IN BLOOMFIELD, NM, ON MAY 6, 2017, CAUSED A LOSS OF ELECTRICAL POWER THAT INITIATED A STATION EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN (ESD). GAS CONTROL CALLED OUT LOCAL OPERATIONS PERSONNEL TO RESPOND TO THE POWER OUTAGE. UPON ARRIVAL AT THE COMPRESSOR STATION, PERSONNEL DISCOVERED THAT A VALVE, INTENDED TO CLOSE DURING AN ESD, FAILED TO DO SO RESULTING IN A LOSS OF NATURAL GAS TO THE ATMOSPHERE THROUGH THE BLOWDOWN VENT SYSTEM IN EXCESS OF THE PHMSA INCIDENT REPORTABLE QUANTITY OF 3,000 MCF. THE POWER OUTAGE DISRUPTED SCADA BUT WHEN POWER WAS RESTORED, GAS CONTROL WAS ABLE TO SEE IN SCADA THE RECORD OF THE ESD, WHICH OPERATED AS DESIGNED AT 19:20 HOURS. THE GAS RELEASE WAS STOPPED BY THE RESPONDING PERSONNEL. THE FAULTY VALVE WAS REPAIRED AND THE STATION WAS MADE AVAILABLE FOR OPERATION THE FOLLOWING DAY. A 48-HOUR UPDATE TO THE NRC RESULTED IN REVISED REPORT NUMBER 1177727.
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.