SAN FRANCISCO, March 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/
-- Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) provided
an update today on what the company is doing to overhaul its
records management system, particularly for its natural gas
pipelines.
The records project began in the wake of the pipeline accident
in San Bruno, as the company works
to make sure such an accident never happens again. To help identify
areas for improvement, PG&E hired the consulting firm
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to assess its recordkeeping practices.
Employing a team of records experts, the assessment has covered
various aspects of PG&E's gas operations record keeping.
Based on an assessment by PwC: "PG&E proactively retained
PwC to assess its recordkeeping practices across its gas operations
organization. This is what businesses do when they want to improve
and it is a critical step in that process. With the initial
assessment complete, PwC is working to finalize its reports and its
conclusions."
Meanwhile, the company is already forging ahead on a
multi-faceted process to vastly improve its data management, a
cornerstone of pipeline safety.
PG&E Executive Vice President of Gas Operations Nick Stavropoulos, a gas industry veteran who
was hired in May 2011 to lead a
turnaround in the company's gas operations, described the records
efforts as a big job, but not insurmountable. He also pointed to
the importance of the PwC assessment in guiding reforms.
"PG&E is well aware that we had records challenges and we're
addressing them in a thoughtful manner. That's where PwC's
assessment will help.
"We have a sound strategy that we are implementing and I'll
leverage my deep experience in this industry to make sure of it. I
have great comfort in knowing that all of us at PG&E are
working every day to make things better and safer for our
customers, communities and for each other," Stavropoulos said.
Stavropoulos outlined the following ways PG&E is already
moving forward:
- Validating pipelines' safe operating pressures: PG&E
has completed its Maximum Allowable Operating Pressure (MAOP)
verification effort, which involves record gathering and field
investigations, for all 2,000 miles of transmission pipelines in
urban areas. The records needed for this project—so far about 2.5
million paper documents—have been scanned, indexed, and stored in a
new centralized electronic records system. This was a key first
step in organizing pipeline records and making them more accessible
to PG&E workers throughout gas operations. The process is now
continuing for the remaining transmission lines.
- Strength-testing pipelines: PG&E has performed
high-pressure water tests on more than 160 miles of pipelines with
characteristics similar to the line in San Bruno. The data from these tests have been
entered into an electronic system, providing another layer of
traceable, verifiable and current information. Plans call for
strength testing or verifying records for about 185 miles in 2012,
204 miles in 2013, and 158 miles in 2014.
- Gas Transmission Asset Management: The idea behind this
program, Stavropoulos said, is to move away from reliance on paper
records and toward robust electronic data management systems.
PG&E will be connecting field crews to these systems through
mobile technology, establishing a master index of job files, and
strengthening integrity management and risk analysis tools. These
steps will help employees make informed and prompt decisions to
ensure public safety.
- Asset Knowledge Management: This is one of eight major
areas of responsibility that Stavropoulos has created in gas
operations. The team oversees the massive effort to validate our
pipelines' MAOP, records verification and management, the
production of maps, data quality, and technology and tools. By
creating this team, PG&E has made records management a priority
and established a clear line of accountability.
- Company-wide records organization: On a broader level,
PG&E is developing a companywide records management policy that
promotes accountability, protects vital records and ensures
appropriate retention practices.
All of these programs, Stavropoulos said, stem from PG&E's
overarching mission to establish a clear organizational structure
that puts public and employee safety first. "That philosophy drives
every decision and every action the company makes," he said.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E
Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas
and electric utilities in the United
States. Based in San
Francisco, with 20,000 employees, the company delivers some
of the nation's cleanest energy to 15 million people in Northern
and Central California. For more
information, visit http://www.pge.com/about/newsroom/ and
www.pgecurrents.com.
SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company