Pipeline owner finishes testing, replacement after fiery explosion

An energy company finished testing and repairing a natural gas pipeline after a section ruptured, causing a fiery explosion last month.

The company, Energy Transfer, said Monday its “hydrotest” of a section of the pipeline near Mexico was complete. Last month, a section of the pipeline exploded. For an extended video of the resulting flames, click here.

At least one home was destroyed by the explosion.

The test was meant to measure the strength of the pipe by purposefully increasing the pressure inside above normal operations, according to Alex Martin, a spokesman for Energy Transfer.

“This will not only verify the integrity of repairs, it will also identify any areas we may want to proactively investigate further,” Martin said in an email.

The company said in a news release the testing was completed Monday at 5:15 p.m, and the pipeline will soon be returned to service. Updates of the restart’s timing will be given in the future, according to the statement.

The testing was focused to a 15-mile stretch of the pipeline stretching from near Route Z to Route J. Sections of the pipeline were also replaced, repaired and retested, according to Martin.

The pipeline runs through several Midwestern states, spanning from the Anadarko Basin of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas to Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and into Michigan.

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