El Paso South System Flows 700 MMcf/d

Less than two weeks after the deadly explosion on El Paso Natural Gas' system 
in southeastern New Mexico, the pipeline last week had more than 700 MMcf/d 
of its 1.1 Bcf/d capacity restored to its South Mainline that services 
markets between Texas and California. 

At mid-day Friday, El Paso said it began running about 260 MMcf/d through 
Line 1100 after it received the go-ahead from the federal Office of Pipeline 
Safety (OPS), according to spokeswoman Kim Wallace. El Paso was able to 
re-start partial service on the 26-inch line after it built a 16-inch 
temporary connector line between Line 1110 and Line 1100, which was approved 
by OPS. 

The temporary connector was installed just east of the Pecos River explosion 
site, about 30 miles from Carlsbad, NM. Wallace said Line 1100 would carry 
the gas from Eunice, NM, just Northeast of the Pecos River Compressor 
Station, to the connector with Line 1110, which then would transport it 
westward across the Pecos River Bridge where it would meet up with Line 1100 
further downstream. Meanwhile, Wallace said El Paso submitted to OPS last 
week the test results and a preliminary return-to-service plan for Line 1100. 

Three days prior, the OPS had given El Paso permission to restore service to 
Line 1110 from the Keystone Station through the Pecos River Compressor 
Station at a reduced level. The pipeline re-opened the line at about 400 
MMcf/d, and gradually increased it to 480 MMcf/d by Friday. This is "still 
within the limits it [OPS] set" for Line 1110, Wallace said. 

The OPS restricted El Paso's Line 1110 to 80% of the operating pressure of 
Line 1103 at the time it ruptured, according to Department of Transportation 
spokeswoman Debbie Hinz. She said this put the line at a pressure of about 
538 pounds per square inch. 

The OPS-ordered shutdown of Line 1110 lasted 10 days, during which the agency 
ordered El Paso to conduct extensive hydrostatic, ultrasound and X-ray tests 
to determine its safety, and to submit a plan for restoring service to the 
line. 

As for the future of ruptured Line 1103, Wallace said repairs on it would not 
begin until after the investigation of the explosion is completed, which will 
"probably be nine to 12 months." 

The restoration of service couldn't come soon enough for El Paso customers 
who have been scrambling for transportation capacity ever since federal 
investigators and regulators closed down the three lines that make up El 
Paso's South Main leg in the wake of the blast that killed 11 people and 
critically injured one. California customers have been taking gas out of 
storage to meet their needs during the service interruption. The Department 
of Energy has set up a task force to evaluate the effects of the explosion 
and shutdown on the gas market. 


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