TENNESSEE GAS PIPELINE CO (EL PASO)
gas_transmission Incident — — March 8, 2010
Incident Information
| Incident Date | March 8, 2010 |
| Operator | TENNESSEE GAS PIPELINE CO (EL PASO) |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_transmission |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 28.60001, -92.58337 |
Cause
| Cause | CORROSION FAILURE |
| Subcause | INTERNAL CORROSION |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $271,000 |
| Emergency Response | $0 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
DUE TO POOR 3RD PARTY REPORTING OF LEAK COORDINATES, WEATHER CONDITIONS AND CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE SUBSEA CONNECTION, CONFIRMATION OF A REPORTABLE LEAK WAS DELAYED. THE INITIAL REPORT WAS RECEIVED MARCH 8, 2010 AT 10:00 AM CST. TGP BEGAN TRYING TO LOCATE THE LEAK BUT ISOLATED THE SUSPECTED 20"" 509A-1100 PIPELINE EVEN THOUGH A LEAK WAS NOT CONFIRMED. THE LEAK WAS EXTREMELY SMALL WITH THE PIPELINE LOSING APPX. 10 PSI PER DAY. ON MARCH 12, 2010 A LEAK WAS LOCATED IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO A SUBSEA CONNECTION AND A MAINTENANCE (TIGHTNESS TYPE) LEAK WAS SUSPECTED. SEVERAL ATTEMPTS WERE MADE TO DIVE ON THE LOCATION WITH ULTIMALTE SUCCESS TO REPAIR IT BY APRIL 19, 2010. A PIN HOLE IN THE 6:00 POSITION WAS IDENTIFIED VERY CLOSE TO THE SUBSEA CONNECTION MOST LIKELY CAUSED BY INTERNAL CORROSION. PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED IN ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A SUCCESSFUL DIVE INCLUDED INCLEMENT WEATHER AND DIFFICULTY IN OBTAINING PRODUCER PLATFORM BOARDING AGREEMENTS.
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.