"WBI ENERGY TRANSMISSION, INC."

gas_transmission Incident — — December 30, 2014

Incident Information

Incident DateDecember 30, 2014
Operator"WBI ENERGY TRANSMISSION, INC."
Commodity—
Pipeline Typegas_transmission

Location

State
Coordinates46.70397, -103.96608

Cause

CauseNATURAL FORCE DAMAGE
SubcauseTEMPERATURE

Casualties

Fatalities0
Injuries0

Costs

Property Damage$300
Emergency Response$4,925
Other Costs$180,000

Location Map

Incident Narrative

"ON 12/30/14 THE REGULATORS SUPPLYING GAS TO THE GOLVA-BEACH LATERAL FROZE OFF CAUSING SERVICE TO BE LOST TO THE TOWNS OF SENTINEL BUTTE, ND, BEACH, ND, AND WIBAUX, MT. WBI'S GAS CONTROL RECEIVED A CALL FROM LDC PERSONNEL NOTIFYING WBI THAT THE LDC HAD RECEIVED A LOW OUTLET PRESSURE ALARM AT THE BEACH TBS. AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT, WBI DID NOT HAVE ANY SCADA POINTS ON THE GOLVA-BEACH LATERAL. WBI RELIES ON LDC ALARMING FOR THIS LATERAL SYSTEM. WBI PERSONNEL WERE DISPATCHED TO THE REGULATOR STATION WHICH IS APPROXIMATELY 2 MILES SOUTH OF GOLVA, ND. WHEN WBI PERSONNEL ARRIVED AT THE REGULATOR STATION, THE OUTLET OF THE REGULATOR STATION SUPPLYING GAS TO THE GOLVA-BEACH LATERAL WAS APPROXIMATELY 20 PSI. WBI PERSONNEL BYPASSED THE REGULATOR STATION AND WERE ABLE TO MAINTAIN SERVICE TO GOLVA, ND BUT LOST SERVICE TO SENTINEL BUTTE, ND, BEACH , ND, AND WIBAUX, MT. THE REGULATOR STATION WAS PUT INTO SERVICE IN 2013. NO PROBLEMS WERE ENCOUNTERED DURING THE WINTER OF 2013, BUT THE BUILDING HEATER WAS MOVED TO A NEW LOCATION WITHIN THE BUILDING IN 2014. MOVING THE HEATER MAY HAVE CREATED CONDITIONS THAT MADE THE REGULATORS MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO FREEZING OFF, EVEN THOUGH PIPELINE QUALITY GAS WAS FLOWING THROUGH THE STATION. SINCE THE INCIDENT, WBI HAS INSTALLED A PRESSURE TRANSDUCER AT THE REGULATOR STATION WHICH GIVES THE ABILITY TO MONITOR PRESSURE ON THE GOLVA-BEACH LATERAL. IN ADDITION, WBI ALSO INSTALLED REGULATOR PILOT HEATERS AND A SECONDARY HEATER WITHIN THE REGULATOR STATION BUILDING."

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.

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