| (g) Transfer of permit. A storage facility permit may
not be transferred without the prior approval of the Commission, or
its designee. Until such transfer is approved by the Commission or
its designee, the proposed transferee may not conduct any activities
authorized by the permit. The following procedure shall be followed
when requesting approval for transfer of a permit.
(1) Request. Prior to transferring either ownership
or operation of a storage facility, the permittee shall file with
the Commission a request for transfer of the permit. Such a request
may not be filed unless a completed Form P-4, signed by both the permittee
and the proposed transferee, has been filed with the Commission.
(2) Approval. The Commission, or its designee, shall
approve the transfer of a storage facility permit, provided:
(A) the proposed transferee is not the subject of any
unsatisfied Commission enforcement order at the time of the request
for permit transfer; and
(B) there are no existing violations of any Commission
regulation, order, or permit at the storage facility at the time of
the request for permit transfer that have been documented by the Commission,
or its employees, unless the proposed transferee agrees to correct
the violations according to a compliance schedule approved by the
Commission, or its designee.
(3) Good cause. Notwithstanding paragraph (2) of this
subsection, for good cause shown the Commission, or its designee,
may require public notice and opportunity for hearing prior to taking
action on a request for transfer of a permit. Such request may be
denied after notice and opportunity for hearing if the Commission
or its designee finds that transfer of the permit would not be in
the public interest.
(h) Safety. The following safety requirements shall
apply to all underground gas storage facilities, provided, however,
that the provisions of this subsection shall not apply to any natural
gas storage well that is out of service and disconnected from surface
piping. Notwithstanding the compliance time periods specified in this
subsection, a new underground gas storage facility permitted under
this section must have all required safety measures and equipment
in place before commencement of storage operations at the facility.
All existing storage facilities must have such safety measures and
equipment in place within the period of time specified. Notwithstanding
the compliance time periods specified in paragraph (2)(B) of this
subsection, no storage well in active service may be operated without
a fully functional emergency shutdown valve unless in compliance with
specified conditions of paragraph (2)(C) of this subsection.
(1) Monitoring of injection and withdrawal operations.
All gas injection and withdrawal activities shall be continuously
monitored by an individual who is experienced and trained in such
activities. Any facility that is unattended during injection and withdrawal
activities shall have company personnel on call at all times. On-call
personnel must be able to reach the facility within 30 minutes from
the time a potential problem is noted by the individual monitoring
the injection or withdrawal activities.
(2) Storage wellhead.
(A) The storage wellhead must be designed, operated,
and maintained to contain the contents of the storage well and protect
against loss of stored product.
(B) Within five years of the effective date of this
section, the operator shall have installed emergency shutdown valves
between the wellhead and the gas injection/withdrawal surface piping
of each storage well and between the wellhead and any brine or fresh
water surface piping. Within one year of the effective date of this
section, the operator may request an exception to the storage wellhead
configuration or compliance date of this subparagraph and propose
an alternative configuration or workover schedule for approval by
the Commission or its designee. A storage well that is out of service
and is disconnected from surface piping shall be exempt from this
requirement until reactivated for active gas storage. Emergency shutdown
valves shall meet the following requirements:
(i) Each emergency shutdown valve shall be capable
of activation at each storage well, at the on-site control center
if one exists, at the remote control center if one exists, and at
a location that is reasonably anticipated to be accessible to emergency
response personnel at any facility that does not have an on-site control
center that is attended 24 hours per day.
(ii) Each emergency shutdown valve shall be an automatic
fail-closed valve that automatically closes when there is a loss of
pneumatic or hydraulic pressure on, or power to, the valve or when
the maximum operating pressure under subsection (k) of this section
is exceeded.
(iii) Each emergency shutdown valve shall be closed
and opened at least monthly.
(iv) Each emergency shutdown valve system shall be
tested at least twice each calendar year at intervals not to exceed
7 1/2 months. The test shall consist of activating the actuation devices,
checking the warning system, and observing the valve closure.
(C) If an emergency shutdown valve system fails to
operate as required, the well shall be immediately shut in until repairs
are completed, unless:
(i) a backup emergency shutdown valve is in operation
on the same piping; or
(ii) an attendant is posted at the well site to provide
immediate manual shut-in.
(3) Gas, brine, and fresh water surface piping.
(A) Gas surface piping shall be designed for the permitted
maximum allowable operating pressure on the hydrocarbon side of the
well. For facilities with hazardous materials surface piping under
the administrative authority of the Safety Division of the Railroad
Commission of Texas, for the purposes of this section, gas surface
piping extends from the wellhead emergency shutdown valve to the first
pressure regulation device, including a manual, motor-operated, or
emergency shutdown valve.
(B) Brine piping, if any, shall be designed for the
maximum brine wellhead pressure and to transport, under emergency
conditions, gas to a gas control system if the operator is solution
mining while the gas storage well is in active storage service, unless:
(i) a secondary emergency shutdown valve is in operation
on the brine surface piping; and
(ii) the brine surface piping between the wellhead
emergency shutdown valve and the secondary emergency shutdown valve
is designed for the permitted maximum allowable operating pressure
on the hydrocarbon side of the well.
(C) Fresh water surface piping, if any, must be equipped
with an emergency shutdown valve unless it is:
(i) disconnected from the wellhead; or
(ii) connected to the brine surface piping outboard
of the wellhead emergency shutdown valve; or
(iii) designed for the maximum allowable operating
pressure on the hydrocarbon side of the well; and has an internal
diameter of less than or equal to two inches; and an attendant is
posted at the well site to provide immediate manual shut-in when in
use.
(D) Fresh water piping designed for the permitted maximum
allowable operating pressure on the hydrocarbon side of the well and
with an internal diameter of less than or equal to two inches, is
exempt from the requirement that an emergency shutdown valve be separated
from the wellhead by a spool no longer than six feet.
(4) Cavern debrining and solution mining operations.
(A) Within one year of the effective date of this section,
each storage well shall have two or more of the following redundant
devices or methods in operation during cavern debrining operations
or during solution mining operations that are conducted with gas in
storage in the same cavern. These devices are designed to prevent
the release of gas into the brine and fresh water systems connected
to the well during cavern debrining operations or during solution
mining operations that are conducted with gas in storage in the same
cavern. Gas release prevention shall consist of at least two of the
following redundant devices or methods:
(i) emergency shutdown valves equipped with pressure
sensor switches or transducers set to automatically close emergency
shutdown valves on the brine side of the wellhead and on the fresh
water piping, if any, in response to preset pressures on the brine
and fresh water piping of the well;
(ii) weep hole(s) on the brine return string in conjunction
with a preset pressure sensor switch or transducer on the brine piping
that is set to automatically close emergency shutdown valves on the
brine side of the wellhead and on the fresh water piping, if any,
in response to a preset pressure;
(iii) a device on the brine return string or brine
piping that detects hydrocarbon in the brine by physical or chemical
characteristics and that is set to automatically close emergency shutdown
valves on the brine side of the wellhead and on the fresh water piping,
if any, in response to hydrocarbon detection;
Cont'd... |
