When you run over potholes in a road, you'll likely think that it's time to resurface it. But the condition of natural gas pipes buried beneath the ground is harder to detect. Pipeline impediments, corrosion and other damages are typically only discovered after gas unexpectedly stops flowing.

Natural gas supply disruptions are triggered by natural and man-made events. Weather events -- like prolonged periods of extreme cold -- can drop pipeline pressure levels or cause gas wells to temporarily stop producing. Storms in the Gulf might shut-in production or disable the onshore compressors that move gas through the pipeline network. Pipeline construction delays can strand end-users.

Then there are planned disruptions resulting from mandatory pipeline testing. The Pipeline Inspection, Protection, Enforcement, and Safety Act of 2006 places requirements pipeline operators to prepare and implement an integrity management programs. This Act requires operators to identify "high consequence areas" (HCA) on their systems, conduct risk analysis of these areas, perform baseline integrity assessments of each pipeline segment and inspect the entire pipeline system according to a prescribed schedule – using prescribed methods. All pipeline segments within HCAs were to be inspected and remediation plans (if required) completed by December 17, 2008, while non-HCA segments must be inspected by 2012. All segments must be re-inspected on a seven-year cycle, with certain exceptions. Violations are enforceable by the U.S. Department of Transportation and include civil penalties.

Yet despite the efforts of the federal government, an onslaught of high profile events, like the tragic September 2010 pipeline explosion in San Bruno, Calif., has further heightened attention to pipeline integrity standards. The death toll from pipeline safety accidents have increased 41 percent between 2008 and 2010, and resulting property damage and repair costs have also sharply risen.

Regulators are looking at new legislation to further tighten standards, such as increasing the amount of required integrity testing. In fact, more than half of the 300,000 miles of gas transmission pipelines in the U.S. is more than 40 years old. Aging infrastructure is a major challenge facing the natural gas industry. A renewed focus on integrity testing and resulting repairs and replacements will only increase the number of natural gas supply interruptions.

No Supply is Not an Option
For many businesses and large industrial companies, a "firm" or continuous supply of natural gas is critical to day-to-day operations. Because a majority of end-users are connected to a single major pipeline, they are forced to seek out alternative fuel sources in the event of an outage. Some facilities try to mitigate the risk of supply disruption by seeking a back-up natural gas supply source like a second connection, which is often capital intensive. Others are capable of switching input fuels from natural gas to electricity, coal, propane or diesel, but facilities must be outfitted with redundant systems or fuel-switching equipment.

Another alternative fuel source is portable gas in the form of compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied natural gas (LNG) provided by CenterPoint Energy's Mobile Energy Solutions (MES). MES offers portable, temporary natural gas supply for emergency or short-term outage events. Depending on the volume of gas required, MES uses tankers, large trucks or small farm taps to provide gas to facilities to wherever you are, around-the-clock.

"Our diverse experience lets us tailor portable gas solutions to a customer's specific needs," said Dimitri Karastamatis, general manager of CenterPoint Energy's Mobile Energy Solutions. "We've handled projects ranging from winter peak shaving to new subdivision developments waiting for permanent pipeline connection to emergency outages. Our certified technicians and gas delivery and transport technology have been tested and proven in real-life conditions when the pressure to perform is on."

Supply disruptions because of natural or man-made events are a fact of life. The key to dealing with them is to have a plan and a resource you can trust. Count on CES as your go-to source for back-up fuel with service from Mobile Energy Solutions.

To learn more, contact your CES account executive or visit www.CenterPointEnergy.com/MES.

Information regarding pipeline safety and maintenance may be found at www.phmsa.dot.gov.

Return to top >>