SoCalGas and SDG&E describe large field verification effort for transmission asset data

Josh Stanford, project and program manager at SoCalGas/SDG&E, presented a post‑verification review of transmission asset data used in annual emissions reporting. He said field verification of assets and standardized naming conventions aims to strengthen component‑level estimates for transmission venting and to improve planning for emission‑reduction projects.

Stanford described the methodology as field verification (physically visiting assets), reconciling field observations with work‑management systems, and updating records. He said SoCalGas verified roughly 39,000 components and SDG&E about 5,000 components. The scope for SoCalGas included seven compressor stations, 187 customer sites with direct sales, 206 pipelines, 110 pressure‑limiting stations and 56 producer sites; SDG&E’s scope included one compressor station, 15 direct‑sale customer sites, 27 pipelines, 19 pressure‑limiting stations and 2 producer sites.

Stanford said transmission venting components account for roughly 1% or less of SoCalGas/SDG&E annual emissions, so while the emitting category is small, more accurate asset counts improve reporting and help utilities evaluate where conversion to electricity or nitrogen or outright removal may be cost‑effective. He listed operational co‑benefits: streamlined work‑management searchability and improved data for other programs that leverage asset information.

In Q&A, staff clarified that "transmission customer" refers to direct‑sale facilities and that pressure‑limiting stations reflect SoCalGas definitions that differ from leak‑abatement category names in appendices. Stanford said next steps include maintaining data‑validation tools and ongoing verification.