PIEDMONT NATURAL GAS CO INC
gas_transmission Incident — — October 16, 2010
Incident Information
| Incident Date | October 16, 2010 |
| Operator | PIEDMONT NATURAL GAS CO INC |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_transmission |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 36.22980, -75.88330 |
Cause
| Cause | OTHER OUTSIDE FORCE DAMAGE |
| Subcause | ELECTRICAL ARCING FROM OTHER EQUIPMENT OR FACILITY |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $52,726 |
| Emergency Response | $1,978 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
PIEDMONT NATURAL GAS (PNG) WAS NOTIFIED OF THE INCIDENT AT 11:20 P.M. ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16. THE PNG FIRST RESPONDER ARRIVED AT APPROXIMATELY 12:00 A.M. ON SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17, AND FOUND THE ABOVE GROUND MAIN LINE VALVE ASSEMBLY ON FIRE. PNG ISOLATED THE LEAK BY CLOSING MAIN LINE VALVES #16 AND #18 AT APPROXIMATELY 2:30 A.M. THE ISOLATED SECTION WAS PURGED AT 3:45 A.M. TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE. PNG BELIEVES THE FIRE WAS CAUSED BY A FALLEN ELECTRICAL LINE SEVERAL MILES AWAY WHERE THE HIGH VOLTAGE TO GROUND CAUSED A SHORT AT THE INSULATING GASKETS LOCATED AT THE MAIN LINE VALVE ASSEMBLY, CAUSING THE FIRE. A NEW GASKET WAS INSTALLED ON THE ASSEMBLY AND PRESSURE (60 PSIG) WAS PLACED BACK ONTO THE PIPELINE AT APPROXIMATELY 10:30 A.M. THE PIPELINE IS OPERATED AT LOW PRESSURE IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN ODORANT FLOW. PNG LOST A TOTAL OF 45 CUSTOMERS WHEN ISOLATING THE MAIN LINE VALVE. ALL RE-LIGHTS WERE COMPLETED ON OCTOBER 18. PNG IS REPLACING THE ENTIRE MAINLINE VALVE FACILITY.
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.