As part of PG&E’s efforts to restore public trust in the company following the deadly natural gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno, PG&E officials released a list today of the company’s 100 riskiest sections of gas pipeline.
PG&E engineers use the list to plan future preventive maintenance and monitoring, PG&E president Christopher Johns said at a news conference in San Francisco.
Any problem that presents an immediate threat to public safety is addressed right away, Johns said. None of the pipeline sections on the list is considered an immediate threat, he said.
According to Johns, the pipeline that ruptured in San Bruno on Sept. 9, causing an explosion and fire that killed seven people, injured more than 50 others and destroyed 37 homes, was not on the list and the cause of the explosion is still under investigation.
According to Johns, PG&E operates 6,700 miles of natural gas transmission pipelines throughout central and northern California, which the company monitors 24 hours a day.
The system has been divided into 20,000 segments that are routinely inspected for potential problems.
The list, which is available on the company’s Web site, itemizes areas of concern, including sections of pipeline that are in future construction zones or spots subject to seismic activity, and sections that are potentially subject to corrosion.
The utility has set up a hot line PG&E customers can call to find out if their homes are within 500 feet of an underground pipeline or within 500 feet of one of the segments that are on the so-called Top 100 list. That number is (888) 743-7431.
Map of SF Gas Transmission Pipelines: PG&E
Caitilin McAdoo, Bay City News
