SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 25 (UPI) -- A gas pipeline in California failed for Pacific Gas and Electric during a pressure test ahead of the winter heating season, the company said.
A section of natural gas Line 300B failed along a weld seam during pressure testing by PG&E. The failure caused an explosion in a section of the pipeline in a field. No one was reported injured. The pipeline was transporting water at the time.
Nick Stavropoulos, executive vice president of PG&E natural gas division, told the San Francisco Chronicle replacing the damaged section isn't a big deal.
"Our plan would be to cut out the section, get it replaced and get the (pressure) tests back going," he said.
Pressure testing on the pipeline exceeded normal operating pressure. Stavropoulos said this validates the margin of safety for the pipeline.
A Sept. 9, 2010, explosion ejected a 28-foot section of a PG&E pipeline out of the ground, causing a fireball in a San Bruno neighborhood that left eight people dead and 38 homes destroyed.
The National Transportation Safety Board said defective pipeline welds contributed to the explosion.
Stavropoulos didn't indicate when the pipeline would return to service or if winter gas supplies would be affected.
