Report Blames R.I. Winter Gas Outage on Low Pipe Pressure
NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island public utilities regulators say a natural gas outage that affected more than 7,000 customers last winter was caused by low pressure in a pipeline.
The 74-page Division of Public Utilities and Carriers report released Wednesday blamed the low pressure on high demand for gas driven by low temperatures; failure of a power system at a liquefied natural gas storage and vaporization facility; and a malfunctioning valve at a meter station.
The agency says it will oppose efforts by National Grid to recover $25 million in costs related to the outage from ratepayers.
Thousands of residents of Newport and Middletown went without gas or heat for days last January.
National Grid in a statement said it didn’t agree with everything in the report but has been working hard to learn from the outage.
Related News
From Archive
- Inside Sempra’s 72-mile pipeline with 18 major trenchless crossings
- Trump vetoes bill to finish $1.3 billion Colorado water pipeline
- PHMSA warns of heat risks in aging plastic gas distribution pipelines following deadly Pennsylvania explosion
- Infrastructure failure releases 100,000 gallons of wastewater in Houston; repairs ongoing
- OSHA seeks $1.2 million fine after fatal trench collapse in Connecticut
- Worm-like robot burrows underground to cut power line installation costs
- First tunnel boring machines complete testing for Hudson Tunnel Project
- Infrastructure failure releases 100,000 gallons of wastewater in Houston; repairs ongoing
- Construction jobs stumble into 2026 after weak year
- NWPX grows water infrastructure portfolio with Colorado precast facility
Comments