Southern Company Gas 2022 Sustainability Executive Summary Final 4.19.23 - Flipbook - Page 18
Energy Reliability, Resiliency
and Affordability
The reliability, resiliency and affordability of energy are
strides, we see infrastructure improvement as a
core to our company and our mission. Southern
continuous process, and we are always looking for
Company Gas is committed to delivering reliable and
opportunities to increase the effectiveness of our
affordable energy to our customers and communities,
efforts and the efficiency of our system.
now and in the future.
Legacy cast or wrought iron and unprotected steel pipes
Southern Company Gas understands the importance of
account for a disproportionate number of leaks and
energy reliability to our customers, even during extreme
failures in the gas distribution industry. The degrading
weather events, such as a polar vortex. With that in
nature of iron alloys in iron pipes and the lack of
mind, we continuously monitor and conduct regular
protective coating in steel pipes greatly increase the risk
inspections of our systems to help ensure safety,
of using such pipelines, many of which were installed
security, reliability and resiliency, even under times of
over 60 years ago. Pipeline replacement is recognized
stress. This approach allows us to make any necessary
today as having the single most significant impact on
upgrades to our infrastructure in a timely fashion.
methane emissions reductions in the industry’s
distribution segment.
Infrastructure Modernization
Because of the dedicated efforts of our team to replace
legacy infrastructure with state-of-the-art corrosion-
Our proactive infrastructure modernization and leak
detection and repair efforts are a critical step toward
Southern Company Gas’ goal of reaching net zero for
operations by 2050. While we have already made great
resistant pipes, we are proud to report that as of the
end of 2022, none of our distribution pipeline consisted
of cast or wrought iron steel, and only 0.2% was
unprotected steel main.
Case Studies
Upgrading Our Infrastructure Through
Virginia Natural Gas’ SAVE Program
Through the Steps to Advance Virginia’s Energy (SAVE) program, Virginia
Natural Gas is replacing aging pipes with new more durable materials that
help reduce methane emissions and are less expensive to maintain. Since
the program’s inception in 2012, Virginia Natural Gas has successfully
replaced 100% of low-pressure pipelines from our natural gas system,
upgrading over 500 miles of older aging pipes with more modern ones. At
the end of 2022, through infrastructure replacement, Virginia Natural Gas
decreased CO2e emissions (distribution mains and services) by more than
31% since 2012.
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