Photo courtesy WFAA
DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF News) — Atmos Energy will spend the next few years replacing its entire network of cast iron gas pipelines.
Following a February house explosion in Northwest Dallas that killed a 12-year-old girl the company began replacing pipes that were found to be leaking. The process forced the temporary loss of gas service to 2,800 homes. Now Atmos says it will expand the pipeline replacements as far north as the southwest corner of the LBJ Freeway and the North Dallas Tollway.
In a letter to the Texas Railroad Commission, which oversees oil and gas industries, Atmos Energy President and CEO Mike Haefner vowed that pipe replacement will “continue to be a top priority at Atmos Energy, with more than 80% of our investments directed toward enhancing the safety and reliability of our system,”
WFAA quotes an Atmos representative who explained,”Our goal is to perform an entire system replacement of a significant portion of northwest Dallas by the end of 2019 and to eliminate cast iron from the Mid-Tex distribution system by 2021,” which would entail replacing 292 miles of iron pipelines.
