EPP curtails N. Texas gas flows following rupture
Christopher E. Smith
OGJ Pipeline Editor
HOUSTON, June 8 -- Enterprise Products Partners LP has initiated service curtailments of roughly 250 MMcfd of natural gas following the June 7 rupture of its partially owned North Texas gas pipeline in rural Johnson County about 15 miles south of Godley, Tex.
EPP isolated the damaged section of pipe to stop the flow of gas and take it out of service, curtailing shipments until repairs can be completed.
EPP expects repairs to take 3-4 days following conclusion of the investigation into the incident. EPP did not have an estimate as to how long the investigation might last, but did say that they do not expect a prolonged outage as a result of the rupture.
The US National Transportation Safety Board and Texas Railroad Commission are investigating the incident. TRC investigators were on site June 7, with NTSB officials on site June 8, EPP said.
Initial reports say the rupture was caused by the pipeline being struck by a contractor working for a local electric utility. The Johnson County sheriff’s department has confirmed one fatality as a result of the blast.
The North Texas line is a 36-in. OD, 395-mile segment of line extending from the Waha Hub in West Texas to the Carthage Hub in East Texas. The pipeline can transport about 800 MMcfd of gas.
Enterprise owns a 50% interest in and operates this segment of the North Texas line.
Contact Christopher E. Smith at [email protected].