Audit Reveals Causes of Hayward Power Plant Explosion
Today’s post can best be viewed as a cautionary tale. A May 2021 explosion at the Calpine-owned Hayward Power Plant, a natural gas-plant that can supply electricity to 600,000 homes, could have been avoided. Plain and simple.
What Caused the Hayward Power Plant Explosion?
Make no mistake, this explosion could have been deadly. The force of the explosion was so strong that a 15-pound piece of debris traveled nearly a quarter mile where it crashed into an unoccupied trailer at the city’s homeless shelter. And a 51-pound piece of debris landed at the city’s nearby water pollution control center.
The California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) recently completed an audit of the Russell City Energy Center, the site of the Hayward Power Plant, and it was quite disheartening. Even though the cause of the incident was officially labeled by the city as “unexplained,” the audit report identified no less than 14 problems that may have contributed to the explosion.
Worse yet, at least one recommendation from a 2019 report – holding emergency drills with external agencies – was never adopted.
Overall, the deficiencies identified in the California PUC report were numerous. Here is a snapshot of some of the more problematic ones:
- Power plant personnel did not regularly conduct emergency exercises and drills
- Corrosive piping was found in the plant
- Methane detectors at fuel gas compressors were deficient
- Certain types of equipment were not stored properly
- Oil leaks were found at a steam turbine, creating an unsafe condition
There is little doubt that Calpine Corp. will be facing the repercussions of this event for a long time to come. Not only did the event cause an estimated $100 million in damage, but the company took a reputation hit in the court of public opinion, and will face intensified regulatory scrutiny for the foreseeable future.
