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PG&E Releases List of 100 Riskiest Pipelines
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PG&E workers survey the San Bruno neighborhood following a gas pipeline explosion earlier this month.
Under fire from public officials, regulators and the media, PG&E today released a list of its 100 riskiest natural gas pipelines in Northern and Central California.
PG&E President Chris Johns said during a press conference at the utility’s San Francisco headquarters that the list is a common risk-management tool, used to help prioritize maintenance of some 20,000 pipeline segments. Among the factors weighed to judge a pipeline's risk are its age, the surrounding area's population density, and the local potential for seismic activity.
"So the basic thing that we're trying to say is that our engineers are constantly evaluating all these different factors," Johns said. "And basically what that means is this list is in flux--some items will move up the list,some items will move down the list."
Johns said a pipeline segment's appearance on the Top 100 does not mean it's at imminent risk of failure. The segment that blew up in San Bruno was not listed.
The utility said releasing the list was a gesture aimed at re-building trust in the company and its pipeline network.
More Info
- PG&E's List and Map of 100 Most At-Risk Pipeline Segments: The utility released its current list of natural-gas pipeline sections it considers most in need of attention because of proximity to populated areas, risk of seismic activity, or other factors. The segment that blew up in San Bruno on Sept. 9, 2010, was not on the list.
