PG&E Sought Funds To Stem Pipeline Corrosion
KCBS Holly Quan Reporting
Pacific Gas and Electric was seeking approval from state regulators to address the risk of internal corrosion in four of its Bay Area pipelines, including the segment that exploded in San Bruno last week. The utility was concerned about "significant amounts of liquid" in a pipeline in Milpitas, according to a document obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle.
The Milpitas and San Bruno pipelines were among those listed as high risk in a filing with the California Public Utilities Commission. That document shows the company wanted the PUC to approve spending $3.2 million to install equipment that would prevent compressor oil from accumulating in the pipeline.
Microbes that feed on natural gas can accumulate near the bottom of pipelines, threatening the integrity of the pipelines, said Eric Smith, associate director of the Tulane Energy Institute. "If you get moisture in a pipeline these microbes are much more likely to be active and they will essentially consume the pipeline from the inside out," Smith said. Federal investigators are considering whether internal corrosion may have caused the blast that killed at least six people and destroyed dozens of homes.
PG&E told the Chronicle on Thursday that it had addressed the problem of compressor oil last fall.
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