Pipeline Safety

Because most of our facilities are underground, you may not give us much thought. However, our operations do touch many lives and it is important that we form a partnership with the public to ensure the safety of this vast transportation network.

An enviable record

According to statistics from the National Transportation Safety Board and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), natural gas pipelines are this country's safest form of energy transportation. Interstate pipelines are regulated by the DOT's Office of Pipeline Safety, which imposes a broad range of construction and operations standards and specifications.

The Transco pipeline system

Interstate natural gas pipelines like Transco undergo a wide range of inspection requirements for design; material specifications; construction standards; and operating, maintenance and testing procedures, including:

• At steel rolling mills, where pipe is fabricated, Transco utilizes the most sophisticated, high-strength steel available — steel that, in many cases, exceeds both federal and industry-wide standards.

• Protective coatings are applied to the steel pipeline at the pipe mill to control corrosion.

• During construction Transco carefully inspects the fabrication of the pipeline, including x-raying welds linking the pipe joints.

• Once the pipeline is in the ground and before it is placed into service, it is pressure-tested with water in excess of its operating pressure to test its ability to withstand high pressure.  This process is called hydrostatic testing.

• Mainline valves are equipped with remote control technology and can be shut off immediately from our centralized Gas Control Center.

• After the pipeline is placed into service, pipeline markers are posted at regular intervals to mark its presence. Transco's toll-free, 24-hour telephone number is posted on these markers.

• After the pipeline is installed, a electrical system known as  "cathodic protection"s utilized to control corrosion.

• Regular inspections by motor vehicles and low-flying patrol aircraft keep a watchful eye on the pipeline routes and adjacent areas.

• Maintenance crews perform regular facility inspections, monitor for construction activity in the vicinity of the pipeline, and maintain the pipeline and its right-of-way.  

• The pipeline undergoes periodic maintenance inspections, including leak surveys and valve and safety device inspections. An internal computerized inspection device known as a “smart pig” will also be utilized onshore to examine the pipe's condition.  

• Transco representatives conduct meetings with local emergency response officials, excavation contractors and local landowners to inform them about pipeline operations.

• A centralized Gas Control Center uses computers to continuously monitor the pipeline system 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.