Eight Ford Edge SUVs equipped with sensitive methane detection systems are traveling the state at night when wind conditions are more favorable, gathering data on potential natural gas leaks – a critical safety factor, says Consumers Energy spokesperson Brian Wheeler
“We traditionally add an odorant to natural gas to allow people to smell it and that's always useful. If you smell natural gas, we want you to contact us, but there are situations where it's not detected and so these vehicles are actually allowing us to cover all of our 30,000 miles of natural gas pipeline to give us readings and information.”
The company then dispatches crews to repair possible leaks.
“If we can detect where the leaks are, that allows us to then go make the repairs, get our crews in the field and make sure that our system is as close as it can be to 100 % efficient.”
Consumers Energy surveyed its large-scale transmission and storage systems with an airplane last year, carrying equipment able to detect gas leaks within five feet of their locations.
“In Gratiot County we actually were able to discover - from the air - a house that appeared to be filling with natural gas that, as you know, when contact with a spark can lead to the ignition or explosion.”
They’ll test using a helicopter this summer.
Consumers Energy has reduced methane emissions from its natural gas system nearly 30 percent since 2012, with a goal of net-zero by 2030.
