SoCalGas reaches milestone in methane capture initiative

Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas), Los Angeles, has announced the company achieved a milestone in its methane capture initiative, passing the 1 million cubic foot mark. This process is designed to save gas that would otherwise be vented to the atmosphere during pipeline replacement work and reinject it into its pipeline system for later use.

Since SoCalGas began capturing methane during pipeline replacement projects in August 2016, the company has captured approximately 1.2 million cubic feet of natural gas—the equivalent to about what 6,200 homes use each day on average in the U.S. 

"Emissions from natural gas distribution systems represent less than 1 percent of greenhouse gas emissions nationwide, but we're always looking for ways to improve," says Rick Phillips, senior director of SoCalGas' pipeline safety enhancement plan. "SoCalGas is making every effort to help reduce emissions as much as possible. We are committed to making investments to meet California's ambitious environmental goals and using this methane capture technology when possible is just one way we are achieving these goals."

On Aug. 16, SoCalGas crews completed 11 hours of methane capture work near the Sepulveda Dam in LA. This project captured about 260,500 cubic feet of natural gas from a transmission pipeline that was removed from service as part of a pipeline replacement initiative and pushed SoCalGas over the 1 million cubic foot benchmark. Once the captured gas was cooled, it was injected back into the SoCalGas pipeline system.

When crews perform work on a pipeline, natural gas inside the pipe must be purged for safety. SoCalGas compressed most of this captured gas and then pumped it into large tanks to be put back into SoCalGas' system and used by customers.

The methane capture technique is being used as part of SoCalGas' pipeline safety enhancement plan (PSEP), a multibillion dollar program with the goal to identify high-pressure pipeline sections throughout SoCalGas' system and schedule them to be pressure-tested or replaced. PSEP also includes provisions to upgrade, replace or retrofit mainline valves in the system with technology designed to open or close the valves remotely by system operators from a central control location or that automatically shuts off the flow of natural gas in the event of a large drop in pressure.

"Atascadero and San Luis Obispo County are beneficiaries of multiple ongoing SoCalGas projects. We appreciate that this company is investing millions of dollars in the natural gas pipeline infrastructure in our area," says Tom O'Malley, mayor of Atascadero. "They have always focused on safety first and excellent customer service but have also been diligent stewards of our environment. The current effort to reduce impacts as they work in our communities, such as methane capture that reduces noise and emissions, is welcomed and should be commended."

SoCalGas plans to spend approximately $1.2 billion in 2017 for improvements to distribution, transmission and storage systems and for pipeline safety.