In response to the state's announcement, SoCalGas released the following statement: "Aliso Canyon is an important part of Southern California's energy system, supporting the reliability of natural gas and electricity services for millions of people. SoCalGas has met - and in many cases, exceeded - the rigorous requirements of the state's comprehensive safety review.
"Under new regulations, gas will only flow through newly installed and pressure-tested, inner steel tubing. The outer casing of wells only will serve as a secondary layer of protection. At the state's direction, the field also will be operated at a reduced pressure, providing an added margin of safety.
"Additionally, SoCalGas has introduced industry-leading technology and practices in our operations at Aliso Canyon, including:
- Around-the-clock pressure monitoring of all wells in a 24-hour operations centre.
- Daily patrols to visually examine every well four times each day.
- Daily scanning of each well, using sensitive infrared thermal imaging cameras that can detect leaks.
- Enhanced training for our employees and contractors.
"Injection will not resume immediately. State agencies have outlined steps that must be completed before injections can resume, including a leak survey of the facility and a flyover to measure methane emissions at the site.”
