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National Grid claims an 'exemplary' safety record.
“Safety is paramount in everything we do” said a National Grid spokesman
Really?
Then heaven help us …
At Palaceknowe, near Moffat in Scotland, National Grid's high pressure gas pipeline suffered a full bore rupture. 1,000 tonnes of gas escaped; if there had been a spark the results would have been unimaginable. Read about the incident here.
National Grid plc killed or injured 20 members of the public in 2005/6, 28 people on 2006/7, 36 people in 2007/8 and 52 people in 2008/9. (Source: NG website)
"Utility firm Transco [part of National Grid] has been fined £15m - a UK record - after being convicted on a charge arising from an explosion which killed four people."
The judge said that the company 'had not shown any remorse for the tragedy'.
For the full story, click BBC website, 25th August 2005
If this is an example of paramount safety, what would an accident be like?
The sad fact is that pipelines are designed and constructed by people, who make mistakes. On occasions gas escapes and innocent people are killed.
It happens far more frequently than you would think. For a list of accidents, click here.
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22 people were killed when this gas pipeline ruptured at Ghislenghien in Belgium on 30th July 2004
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On 9th September 2010, a natural gas pipeline in San Francisco caught fire, causing the deaths of 6 people and injuring 20. The fireball was reported to be 1,000 feet high. For details, click here.
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