American Gas - November 2011 - (Page 5)

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS IN THE KNOW At the Center of Transformation A PG&E executive talks about the changes occurring at PG&E to make pipelines as safe as possible. n the wake of several pipeline tragedies, including one in San Bruno, Calif., in the service territory of Paciﬁc Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E), the industry has redoubled its efforts to ensure the safety and reliability of the nation’s natural gas delivery systems (see “Industry Resources”). For its part, PG&E has carefully reviewed its own system and practices. In June 2011, Nick Stavropoulos joined PG&E as executive vice president, gas operations, bringing to the role more than 30 years of gas industry experience, including seven years in charge of all gas operations for National Grid and KeySpan. Reporting directly to PG&E’s president, Chris Johns, Stavropoulos has responsibility for PG&E’s entire natural gas business, including its response to the San Bruno tragedy as well as its long-term efforts to upgrade critical infrastructure and revamp its operating policies and practices. In the following interview conducted in late August with American Gas, Stavropoulos talks about his priorities for PG&E. I and distribution systems. What are some of your priorities? STAVROPOULOS: My ﬁrst priority has been to make sure we have the right organizational structure in place with the most qualiﬁed and skilled people in leadership positions. We’ve been looking inside the company and around the nation for those people. e second area that I’m focused on is data integrity— making sure that our maps and records are as accurate as NICK STAVROPOULOS, PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC CO. AMERICAN GAS: You’ve been at PG&E nearly three months. How have you gone about familiarizing yourself with its gas system, and what are your initial impressions? STAVROPOULOS: I think it’s very important to listen to the people who work here, especially the men and women who are out there every day working on our pipelines. I need to know what their concerns and issues are. I’ve visited worksites throughout our service territory, I’ve talked to the people in our local yards and I’ve talked to the leaders throughout the company. I want to learn right away what we can do better to make PG&E the company that we all want it to be. We have our work cut out for us, no question, but I’m conﬁdent we can do it. I have a ﬁrm commitment to the public, our customers and the company to do what’s necessary to make our gas system an industry leader in safety. AMERICAN GAS: You were brought in to make some fundamental changes in how PG&E operates its gas and transmission PG&E’s multi-year pipeline modernization plan, recently ﬁled with the California Public Utilities Commission, “calls for us to invest more than $2 billion over the next several years in infrastructure improvements of our gas network. The plan involves extensive testing and replacement of pipelines, improved data gathering and emergency response procedures, and an aggressive program to install automated or remote-controlled valves. It’s an opportunity to make our system the best and safest it can be, with a modest impact on customer rates.” possible and that we can access them when needed. My third priority is integrity management, making sure that our gas stays in the pipe. We need to know everything about our pipes, our compressors, our instrumentation and regulation and storage ﬁelds to make sure that we understand what we need to do from an inspection and maintenance standpoint—how to evaluate them efﬁciently, whether and when to replace them, and the like. ose are the three priorities that I’m focusing on ﬁrst. AMERICAN GAS: It’s been about a year since the pipeline accident in San Bruno. What are some of the steps PG&E has taken since then to improve its system? AMERICAN GAS NOVEMBER 2011 5

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Gas - November 2011

American Gas - November 2011
Contents
President’s Message
In the Know
In the News
Safety First
Talking Energy
Marketplace
Saving LIHEAP
Company Profiles
Places to Be
Noteworthies
Jobline
Advertisers’ Index
Facts on Gas

American Gas - November 2011