Louisville Gas and Electric nearing completion of gas main replacement project

Louisville Gas and Electric Company (LG&E) is competing the final steps in a gas main replacement
project in Louisville, Kentucky that the company began more than 20 years ago.

Through the program, LG&E replaced 540 miles of cast iron, wrought iron and bare steel natural gas pipelines with more durable plastic natural gas pipelines.

Replacing the pipelines was not required when the program started in 1996, although stricter federal distribution pipeline integrity regulations took effect in 2011 that would have necessitated the project.

“Safety is our company’s top priority and this project is evidence of that,” John Malloy, LG&E vice
president of Gas Distribution, said. “Many utilities across the country only began making these types of upgrades within the last five years. So having the foresight to put this upgrade program in place when we did has enabled us to enhance the safety of our system for our customers well in advance of our peers and allowed us to put additional infrastructure upgrade plans in place for the future.”

The company additionally conducts regular leak surveys, gas riser inspections. It also has a regular replacement program infrastructure upgrades plans that include replacing aging steel service lines with plastic pipe, replacing aging natural gas transmission lines, system reinforcement projects to improve reliability and adding capacity.