PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC CO
gas_distribution Incident — OAKLAND, CA
Incident Information
| Report Date | — |
| Operator | PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC CO |
| Commodity | — |
| Pipeline Type | gas_distribution |
Location
| City | OAKLAND |
| State | CA |
| County | ALAMEDA |
| Coordinates | 37.76591, -122.21141 |
Cause
| Cause | CORROSION FAILURE |
| Subcause | — |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | — |
| Lost Commodity | — |
| Public/Private Damage | — |
| Emergency Response | — |
| Environmental Remediation | — |
| Other Costs | — |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
ON DECEMBER 29, 2014, PG&E CREWS WERE PERFORMING ROUTINE MAINTENANCE ON TRANSMISSION LINE L-105N, WHEN A LEAK WAS OBSERVED ON A NEARBY 6-INCH BLOW OFF VALVE. THE 6-INCH BLOW OFF VALVE IS LOCATED NEAR 51ST AVENUE AND SAN LEANDRO STREET IN OAKLAND IN A VALVE FRAME AND COVER WITH LIMITED ACCESS. PG&E CREWS EXCAVATED THE VALVE TO DETERMINE THE NATURE OF THE LEAK AND THE METHOD OF REPAIR. ON DECEMBER 30, 2014 IT WAS ESTIMATED THAT THE COST OF REPAIRS, INCLUDING THE USE OF COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS (CNG), EXCEEDED $50,000, REQUIRING A REPORT TO THE DOT AND CPUC. THERE WERE NO INJURIES, NO FATALITIES, NO IGNITION, NO EVACUATIONS AND NO MEDIA ASSOCIATED WITH THIS EVENT. ON DECEMBER 30 AT APPROXIMATELY 1400 HOURS, PG&E PLACED EIGHT INDUSTRIAL CUSTOMERS ON CNG. NO CUSTOMERS LOST GAS SERVICE AS A RESULT OF THE EVENT. PG&E DE-PRESSURIZED A ONE MILE SECTION OF L-105N AT 1815 HOURS. REPAIRS TO THE BLOW OFF VALVE WERE COMPLETED BY 0200 HOURS ON DECEMBER 31, AND AT 0430 HOURS PRESSURE WAS RESTORED TO THE ISOLATED SECTION OF L-105N. THE CAUSE OF THE LEAK WAS DUE TO ATMOSPHERIC CORROSION OF THE FLANGE BOLTS ALLOWING GAS TO ESCAPE THROUGH THE GASKET JOINT.
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.