ExxonMobil’s repair plan for Pegasus pipeline leaked

The details about ExxonMobil's repair plan for the Pegasus pipeline’s northern segment, a document that was submitted to federal pipeline regulators at the end of March, have been leaked. The "integrity verification and remedial work plan" for the damaged pipeline was not publicly released, but a new source has obtained a copy through a public records request.

Exxon plans to conduct stress tests on the pipeline to prove that it can be safely restarted. But the company also said if high-pressure tests trigger a significant number of pipeline failures, it might lower the pressure of the pipeline.

In statements, ExxonMobil has discussed the "multiple layers of integrity verification" in its Pegasus plan, and promised that it would ensure "the safety of all communities along the (northern) segment." As part of the plan, the company plans to conduct hydrostatic pressure tests to detect cracks.

Before it can restart the northern part of the Pegasus, ExxonMobil must fulfil the requirements outlined in a corrective action order issued by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). The order requires Exxon to submit a work plan that will verify the pipeline's safety and address "all factors known or suspected in the failure."

Exxon's plan is under review by PHMSA, which must decide whether to approve it or seek changes. Exxon already has PHMSA's approval to restart the southern leg of the Pegasus, which carries crude oil 210 miles through Texas, from Corsicana to Nederland near the Gulf Coast.

The pipeline carries some 95 000 bpd of crude oil from Pakota, Illinois, to Nederland, Texas, and was shutdown following an oil spill in Mayflower, Arkansas, on 29 March 2013.

Edited from various sources by Elizabeth Corner

Read the article online at: https://www.worldpipelines.com/business-news/11072014/exxonmobils_repair_plan_for_pegasus_pipeline_leaked/