SAN DIEGO GAS & ELECTRIC CO
gas_transmission Incident — — May 23, 2012
Incident Information
| Incident Date | May 23, 2012 |
| Operator | SAN DIEGO GAS & ELECTRIC CO |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_transmission |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 32.84887, -117.18463 |
Cause
| Cause | OTHER OUTSIDE FORCE DAMAGE |
| Subcause | NEARBY INDUSTRIAL, MAN-MADE, OR OTHER FIRE/EXPLOSION AS PRIMARY CAUSE OF INCIDENT |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $36,000 |
| Emergency Response | $1,000 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
DURING PLANNED PIPELINE BLOWDOWN, ESCAPING GAS IGNITED AT LOCATION OF OVERHEAD ELECTRICAL FACILITIES. GAS WAS SHUT OFF IMMEDIATELY, STOPPING FIRE. NON-ENERGIZED STATIC LINE DROPPED ACROSS ROADWAY AND WAS STUCK BY 2 VEHICLES. DRUG AND ALCOHOL TESTS WERE PERFORMED ON 8 SDG&E EMPLOYEES AND 5 CONTRACTORS. ALL PASSED. THE IMMEDIATE CORRECTION IS TO TAKE AN ELECTRIC OUTAGE ON ALL OVERHEAD ELECTRIC CIRCUITS NEAR BLOWDOWN SITES. IF THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE, A SITE EVALUATION WILL BE PERFORMED BY A QUALIFIED CONSULTANT TO DETERMINE THE SAFE DISTANCE WHEREBY A BLOWDOWN MAY BE PERFORMED. THE PERMANENT SOLUTION IS TO DEVELOP A SET OF GUIDELINES LISTING THE DISTANCES, VOLTAGES, WEATHER CONDITIONS, ETC., WHEREBY BLOWDOWNS MAY BE SAFELY PERFORMED AT ANY SITE. ANY BLOWDOWN DEVIATING FROM THOSE GUIDELINES WOULD REQUIRE A SITE-SPECIFIC EVALUATION.
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.