news-events

PG&E Embraces Obama Administration’s Proposed Safety Recommendations Focused on Expanded Use of Automatic Shut-off Valves

08/06/2015

Utility’s current safety standards already meet several aspects of the proposal

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) welcomes the recommendations of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to expand the use of excess flow valves on natural gas distribution service lines in the United States. Excess flow valves can immediately detect a change in pressure and restrict gas flow if a line is broken or damaged. The valves act as an added layer of protection for customers and communities by limiting the amount of gas that can escape from a damaged service line.

PHMSA’s proposal includes the installation of excess flow valves on new and fully replaced service lines for multi-family residences and small commercial entities, in addition to the existing requirement for single-family residential lines.

As part of PG&E’s unwavering commitment to the safety of its customers and the communities it serves, the company voluntarily imposed this practice throughout its 70,000-square-mile service area earlier this year. More than 127,000 excess flow valves have been installed by PG&E for single-family homes since 2009.

“We embrace PHMSA’s proposal and are incredibly pleased that the industry is increasing its safety standards. At PG&E, our highest priority is the safety of our customers, employees and the communities we serve, which is why we began implementing these standards earlier this year as a part of our mission to become the safest, most reliable gas system in the nation,” said Nick Stavropoulos, PG&E’s executive vice president of Gas Operations.

As part of PG&E’s commitment to safety, the company has also:

  • Decommissioned all of the company’s 847 miles of cast-iron pipe in its system, replacing it with stronger, more resilient and seismically sound pipe
  • Opened a new gas operations control center in 2013, which employs the most advanced technology available, providing unprecedented visibility into the natural gas system and enabling a more predicative and rapid response in an emergency
  • Applied new gas leak detection technology that is 1,000 times more sensitive than traditional methods in order to help find and fix leaks before they become a problem
  • Established itself as one of the fastest in the entire industry responding to gas odor calls—averaging 19.9 minutes in 2014
  • Completed 10 out of the 12 recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board and work on the remaining two is on track

PG&E is reviewing all aspects of the proposed rule and will work with regulators and stakeholders on any recommendations. The proposal is open for public comment through September 14 and if approved, would go into effect in October of 2015.

About PG&E

Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with more than 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation’s cleanest energy to nearly 16 million people in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/ and www.pge.com/en/about/newsroom/index.page.

http://www.pgecurrents.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pacificgasandelectric
https://twitter.com/pge4me
http://www.linkedin.com/company/pacific-gas-and-electric-company
http://www.youtube.com/user/pgevideo

Source: Pacific Gas and Electric Company

Pacific Gas and Electric Company

Stephanie Dell, 415-973-5930

RSS

Shareholder Information

EQ Shareowner Services
Transfer Agent
1-888-489-4689

PG&E Shareholder Services
CorporateSecretary@pge.com

Investor Relations Contact Info

invrel@pge-corp.com

Receive Email Alerts

*
*