Gas
Our goal is to provide safe and reliable gas service to our customers, while also supporting New York State’s clean energy transition. Our Gas Pipeline Safety Management System is a framework we use to drive continuous improvement in our operations. It has been assessed by the American Petroleum Institute and found to conform to Recommended Practice 1173. The system helps us sustain high performance levels across the many activities we do in support of, employee, public, and asset safety. Our approach to risk mitigation comprises three pillars: prevention, detection, and response. Our industry-leading programs in these areas include:
Prevention
- Inspired by our participation as a founding partner in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Methane Challenge, CECONY’s Gas Infrastructure Replacement and Reduction Program and O&R’s Main Replacement Program replace or abandon leak-prone material every year. In 2024, CECONY and O&R replaced nearly 100 miles of gas mains. At its current pace, CECONY anticipates completing the replacement of all remaining leak-prone mains by approximately 2040, while O&R expects to do the same by 2031. Our Damage Prevention Program employs predictive analytics to help oversee our contractors and prioritize call tickets based on risk to optimize deployment of resources. We continue to meet targets established by the New York Public Service Commission (PSC). We’ve also implemented a new mapping system to improve our records, which aids in properly locating underground utilities.
- To reduce the likelihood of overpressure events and enable a remote response to such events, we have installed enhanced overpressure protection at more than 80 regulator stations over the past five years.
Detection
- We use AMI-enabled natural gas detectors (NGD). We were the first utility to use such NGDs and led the way for the global utility industry. Our NGD’s alarm at 10% of the lower explosive limit, and when triggered send an alarm signal to our Gas Emergency Response Center, which contacts the local fire department and dispatches qualified technicians to attend to the situation. As of year-end 2024, we had installed nearly 285,000 detectors systemwide. CECONY plans to install NGDs in every remaining gas customer’s building by the end of 2025. O&R expects to install 30,000 more NGDs over the next three years.
- CECONY’s comprehensive leak survey program includes: 1) monthly surveys of gas mains on the distribution pressure system 2) triannual surveys of pipelines operating over 125 PSIG, both industry-leading practices beyond regulatory requirements and 3) surveys of routes for activities such as the New York City Marathon and road paving work.
- O&R’s comprehensive leak survey program satisfies all code requirements and includes: 1) annual surveys of gas mains on the distribution pressure system in business districts and every 3 years within non-business districts , and 2) triannual surveys of pipelines operating over 125 PSIG.
- In 2024, we began annual rotating surveys of 33% of our distribution system using advanced leak detection equipment that employs cutting-edge technology, which improves our ability to find and repair high emitting gas leaks.
- We seek out and test technologies to help us further avoid methane emissions. We are implementing equipment to capture natural gas during repairs then reenter it into another part of the system using cross-compression technology.
- Our decades-long participation in the Northeast Gas Association Public Awareness Program includes running a multichannel, multilingual, “Smell Gas, Act Fast” public awareness campaign that educates the residents of New York City as well as Westchester, Orange, and Rockland counties about what to do if they smell gas.
Response
- We continued our position as a New York State leader in responding within 30 minutes to gas leak calls, exceeding the goal set by the PSC and our targets.
CECONY Response Times
- ≤ 30 min. Response Time
- ≤ 45 min. Response Time
- ≤ 60 min. Response Time
Figure 8a
O&R Response Times
- ≤ 30 min. Response Time
- ≤ 45 min. Response Time
- ≤ 60 min. Response Time
Figure 8b
Our leak repair program addresses leaks ranging from immediate hazards to those that we repair voluntarily as they do not require repair under state regulations. In 2024, CECONY avoided over 4.4 billion liters of fugitive emissions.1 O&R has plans to begin tracking this data in 2025.
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Type 1
|
Inspect daily until permanently repaired
|
5
|
N/A
|
|
Type 2A
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Six months
|
17
|
383 million
|
|
Type 2
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Within a year
|
13
|
750 million
|
|
Type 3
|
None
|
28
|
3.3 billion
|
|
|
|
Total
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4.43 billion
|
Figure 9
[1] Figures calculated using data from a study conducted by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and Colorado State University.
- Our Gas Operations Team maintains detailed emergency response and continuity of operations plans, which are reviewed and updated annually. They also conduct exercises to prepare for and be capable of responding to emergencies ranging from cyber-attacks to extreme weather so we can maintain business continuity and provide essential services to our customers.
- Our Natural Gas Hazard Awareness Training and Exercise Program offers the 100+ first responder agencies in our service territory the opportunity to deepen their understanding of personal and public safety during gas emergency situations. Since 2022, we have reached over 670 first responders through our training workshops. In 2019, we constructed a Gas Operations Training Facility for the Westchester Fire Academy DES Training Center to facilitate hands on training to prepare firefighters to respond to many different emergency scenarios.
Our Natural Gas Hazard Awareness Mobile Training Trailers enable us to expand our outreach to a broader first responder audience, including at off-site venues. The trailers are outfitted with stations that enable instructors to provide in-depth training on gas hazard response strategies in simulated emergency scenarios with the aid of meters and other equipment, thus better preparing trainees for various emergency situations.
Natural Gas Hazard Awareness Mobile Training Trailer
