During the annual National Association of Steel Pipe Distributors conference in New Orleans last week, members of the mill panel discussed the future of steel pipe demand in general, citing specifically the need to replace outdated pipelines.
According to the panel, most of the in-the-ground line pipe throughout the United States is between 50 and 90 years old. Industry experts say all of that needs to be replaced, and it’s just a matter of time before those orders start coming in.
While some industry players wonder if there’s a way to speed up that rate of replacement, others feel it will take a significant event to expedite the process.
“In the United States, another San Bruno needs to happen in order to make that faster,” said TMK IPSCO Chairman Piotr Galitzine, referring to the 2010 explosion in a San Francisco suburb that occurred when a 70-year-old natural gas pipeline, made with 30-inch diameter line pipe, burst into flames. Approximately 38 houses were leveled and eight people lost their lives.
Lesser tragedies, such as a series of recent water main breaks in San Diego--attributed to 60-year-old standard pipe--are not enough to spur the public outrage apparently necessary to fund pipeline replacement, as are several similar instances across the
US.