PST’s Data and GIS Analyst James Eager walks us through one state’s pipeline safety track record each month. Click on the “State of Safety” tag at the bottom of the post to see all of James’s entries to date.
This month join us as we delve into gas distribution and transmission pipeline incident data in the state of California.
In California, the most-frequent perpetrator (operator) is none-other-than PG&E (responsible for nearly 60% of CA gas pipeline incidents!). Take a look at the data below and see how PG&E compares to the rest of the state of California in regard to gas pipeline incidents and how hazardous liquid operators compare as well.
Incident Analysis
Quick Facts
Between 2010 and 2022:
- 495 total pipeline incidents
- 251 Hazardous Liquid incidents
- 76 Gas Transmission incidents
- 165 Gas Distribution incidents
- 242 significant incidents
- 23 incidents ending in injury and/or fatality with:
- 89 total injuries and
- 20 total deaths
- 103 incidents resulting in fire and/or explosion
- 6,410 total members of the public evacuated
- Incidents have caused total releases of:
- 1,751,795 Thousand Cubic Feet (mscf) of gas
- 748,683 gallons of hazardous liquids
Operator Analysis
Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) operates 50,012 miles of pipeline in California. Over the past 13 years, PG&E was responsible for 143 of the 244 gas transmission and distribution incidents in California (58.6%).
The table below presents the three operators with the most incidents for each system in the state of California over the 2010 – 2021 period. The trend column displays their annual incident rate from 2010 to 2021, with a green point at their maximum and an orange point at their minimum. The row labeled “Other” is an average of the other parent operators for each given system in California – including those without any incidents during this period. Significant incidents are presented as a percent of total incidents, and incident rates are given as incidents per 1,000 miles. Finally, releases are reported in thousand standard cubic feet (mscf) for gas incidents and gallons (Gal.) for hazardous liquids.
Incidents |
Cost (K, USD) |
Releases |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parent Operator | Total | Percent Significant | per 1K Miles | Trend | Total | per Incident | Total | per Incident |
| Hazardous Liquids | ||||||||
| Kinder Morgan (HL) | 61.0 | 41% | 68.57 | 20,302 | 333 | 87,436 | 1,433 | |
| Shell | 26.0 | 46% | 36.01 | 12,387 | 476 | 92,733 | 3,567 | |
| Phillips 66 | 24.0 | 42% | 31.95 | 6,582 | 274 | 19,248 | 802 | |
| Plains | 24.0 | 38% | 60.80 | 168,284 | 7,012 | 197,368 | 8,224 | |
| 63 Others (HL, avg.) | 1.7 | 14% | 46.48 | 695 | 103 | 5,408 | 1,657 | |
| Gas Distribution | ||||||||
| PG&E (GD) | 85.0 | 49% | 0.96 | 398,374 | 4,687 | 63,050 | 742 | |
| SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAS CO (GD) | 68.0 | 57% | 0.62 | 25,153 | 370 | 83,916 | 1,234 | |
| SAN DIEGO GAS & ELECTRIC CO (GD) | 8.0 | 50% | 0.47 | 1,671 | 209 | 2,425 | 303 | |
| 20 Others (GD, avg.) | 0.2 | 2% | 1.58 | 14 | 8 | 32 | 28 | |
| Gas Transmission | ||||||||
| PG&E (GT) | 58.0 | 66% | 9.56 | 730,089 | 12,588 | 721,535 | 12,440 | |
| SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAS CO (GT) | 12.0 | 92% | 3.43 | 16,355 | 1,363 | 257,839 | 21,487 | |
| Kinder Morgan (GT) | 3.0 | 67% | 26.35 | 1,961 | 654 | 618,909 | 206,303 | |
| 61 Others (GT, avg.) | 0.0 | 2% | 0.19 | 16 | 12 | 56 | 39 | |
Grateful to have found this. Is there anyone I can discuss with to potentially update this data set? Our State Fire Marshall is being called on to step in where PHMSA is absentee on our Carbon Storage schemes.
Hi Matt,
Thanks for reaching out. I will pass your information along to our new Data Manager Rebecca Orrison.