Politics & Government

Defective Weld in PG&E's Pipeline Led to Explosion

An NTSB report points to a 'systemic problem' and finds strong similarities between the Sept. 9 San Bruno fire and the 2008 Rancho Cordova explosion, in which PG&E's poor handling of a pipeline's installation ultimately led to that accident.

The likely cause of the Sept. 9 San Bruno pipeline explosion was PG&E’s inadequate handling of Line 132 in which a poorly welded section of pipe expanded over time and ruptured into a fireball when gas pressure suddenly spiked, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded in a report Tuesday.

The agency found that Pacific Gas & Electric Co.’s integrity management program, which was supposed to detect flaws in its pipelines, failed to find or repair the weak section of Line 132, leading the pipeline to explode.

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