May 29, 2014 | By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

As the focus on pipeline safety for power and utility companies reaches a fever pitch, PwC has released a report outlining how to create a new normal in gas pipeline leak management. Utilities are taking advantage of incentives to replace their most at-risk pipe, but pipeline replacement efforts will still take decades, according to PwC, as these efforts alone cannot meet the pressing need for gas pipeline safety improvement.

Credit: Juan de Vojnikov/Wikimedia Commons

Leak survey is often viewed as a compliance activity rather than a core element of pipeline integrity management. PwC encourages utilities to move away from the passive compliance mindset toward a proactive safety culture to transform leak management into a core driver of pipeline safety that is integrated with risk assessment, work identification, and investment planning to transform integrity management and enhance pipeline safety.

Advanced leak detection technology is three times more sensitive than current methods, and will enable this new culture for leak survey. This technology can be a game changer for utilities who can leverage it to reduce the gap and promote safety. Utilities could find leaks at almost the same rate at which leaks form, and the gap between found leaks and actual leaks could decrease by up to 90 percent, according to PwC.

The success of utilities in their leak management endeavors will rely on cultivating a culture of safety vigilance, revamping systems and processes, and working with regulators on cost recovery for incremental leak repairs, as well as educating regulators and the public on a key message: More leaks is not necessarily bad. The ability to proactively find and fix more leaks is what defines leaders in pipeline safety, PwC concludes.

For more:
- see this report

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http://www.fierceenergy.com/story/gas-pipeline-leaks-more-not-necessarily-bad/2014-05-29