WILLIAMS GAS PIPELINE - TRANSCO
gas_transmission Incident — — December 3, 2011
Incident Information
| Incident Date | December 3, 2011 |
| Operator | WILLIAMS GAS PIPELINE - TRANSCO |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_transmission |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 32.25780, -87.85360 |
Cause
| Cause | CORROSION FAILURE |
| Subcause | EXTERNAL CORROSION |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $6,961,000 |
| Emergency Response | $10,000 |
| Other Costs | $405,000 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
ON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2011, TRANSCO EXPERIENCED A RUPTURE ON ITS 36 INCH MAINLINE C APPROXIMATELY 7 MILES DOWNSTREAM OF STATION 90 NEAR LINDEN, AL. THE RUPTURE DID IGNITE, HOWEVER THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THERE WAS APPROXIMATELY 8 ACRES OF FORESTED AREA BURNED. OPERATIONS PERSONNEL RESPONDED AND HAD THE SEGMENT ISOLATED WITHIN 45 MINUTES OF THE RUPTURE. MAINLINE B WAS PARTIALLY EXPOSED BY THE RUPTURE AND WAS TAKEN OUT OF SERVICE AND PHMSA ORDERED THAT THE ADJACENT MAINLINES (MAINLINES A, D, AND E) BE OPERATED WITH A 20% REDUCTION IN PRESSURE. A SUBSEQUENT CONFERENCE CALL WITH PHMSA ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 5TH, 2011, RESULTED IN PHMSA ALLOWING WGP TO OPERATE MAINLINES 30 INCH A, 36 INCH D, AND 42 INCH E WITHOUT ANY PRESSURE LIMITATIONS. A ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS WAS COMPLETED AND APPROVED BY PHMSA. THE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT WAS DUE TO EXTERNAL CORROSION.
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.