Utility Gas Leaks Declining Thanks to Improved Monitoring Technology
According to S&P Global Market Intelligence, utility gas leaks, measured in terms of leak repairs, declined over 6% in 2020 compared to the prior year. While this percentage on its own doesn’t sound overly impressive, it translated into approximately 458k fewer gas leak repairs in 2020 vs. 2019!
Why Utility Gas Leaks are Trending Down
The main reason for the improvement boils down to better monitoring capability. New methods and technologies have been launched in recent years that allow problems to be detected earlier and more often, resulting in an improvement in the overall quality and reliability of the pipe infrastructure. Whether it’s sensors, mobile trackers, or even satellite imagery, there are a variety of technological sectors that are of interest to researchers and entrepreneurs alike.
One example of this type of technology is being used by CenterPoint Energy – a vehicle-mounted device provided by a company called Picarro Inc. Apparently the Picarro technology is very sensitive and precise, which has allowed the company to reduce gas leaks and related repairs by nearly 3% year-over-year.
Although technological advances in monitoring equipment seems to be the biggest driver of the improvement, it is definitely not the only one. Another huge reason is an industrywide shift to plastic pipes from older materials. Simply put, utilities have ramped up repair and replacement efforts in response to years of pressure from regulators and customers. In just one example, ConEd recently accelerated efforts to replace cast iron and unprotected bare steel pipes throughout its NYC service territory.
In the final analysis, the reduction in gas leaks and gas leak repairs is substantial and encouraging. Not only are leaks damaging to the climate, they also weaken the integrity of the pipes which could result in an outage or at worst, an explosion. Therefore, from an emergency preparedness perspective, my hope is that advancements in monitoring technology, as well as pipe rehabilitation efforts, continue to accelerate in the coming years.
