ENERGY TRANSFER COMPANY

Incident Narrative

ON AUGUST 18, 2023, AT APPROXIMATELY 16:29, ENERGY TRANSFER (ET) GAS CONTROL NOTICED A SUDDEN DROP IN PIPELINE PRESSURE ON THE TX-107 VIOLA PIPELINE. GAS CONTROL AND OPERATIONS DECIDED TO INITIATE AN AREA SHUTDOWN AS FIELD PERSONNEL WERE TRAVELING TO THE SITE IN ORDER TO VISUALLY CONFIRM THE LEAK. BOTH UPSTREAM AND DOWNSTREAM VALVES WERE REMOTELY CLOSED AT 17:03. AT 17:36, ET PERSONNEL ARRIVED ON SITE AND CONFIRMED THAT THE PIPELINE HAD BEEN PUNCTURED BY A CONTRACTED FARMER. TX-107 VIOLA IS AN 8-INCH NATURAL GAS LIQUID (NGL) PIPELINE IN A RURAL AREA LOCATED IN NUECES COUNTY IN DRISCOLL, TX. THE FAILED SECTION OF PIPE WAS CUT OUT, REPLACED AND LINE WAS RETURNED TO SERVICE AS OF AUGUST 20, 2023, AT 09:12. THE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE 3RD PARTY CONTRACTOR WAS PLOWING THE FIELD ACROSS THE RIGHT-OF-WAY AND HIT THE PIPELINE WITH A CULTIVATION PLOW. CONTRACTOR FAILED TO MAKE A ONE CALL NOTIFICATION PRIOR TO EXCAVATING. THIS PIPELINE IS UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF THE TEXAS RAILROAD COMMISSION (TX RRC). ON AUGUST 18, 2023, THIS INCIDENT WAS TELEPHONICALLY REPORTED TO THE NATIONAL RESPONSE CENTER (NRC #1376623) AT 17:58. TX RRC WAS NOTIFIED SHORTLY AFTER. A 48-HOUR NRC UPDATE (NRC #1376739) WAS MADE ON JUNE 20, 2023 AT 13:38. TO PREVENT REOCCURRENCE, ET WILL CONTINUE TO RAISE AWARENESS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF MAKING A ONE-CALL NOTIFICATION PRIOR TO EXCAVATION.