Safety study finds Tacoma LNG designed to latest codes

Tacoma Fire Department commissioned independent safety report to evaluate project design and compliance

BELLEVUE, Wash. (7/25/2018) The Tacoma Fire Department released findings of an independent safety report today that concludes the PSE LNG facility has been designed to meet or exceed code compliance and provides additional layers of protection from an unsafe event.

The 66-page report found no credible failure scenarios for the LNG tank and noted, “Tacoma LNG was designed to the applicable codes and standards with significant attention to detail and a perceived objective of becoming a best in class LNG facility.” The report goes on to say that some features “go beyond code compliance to provide additional layers of protection.”

“We are pleased that the independent safety study affirmed that the LNG facility is being built to the highest standards and includes exceptional safety measures that will prevent unsafe events,” said PSE Senior Vice President of Policy and Energy Supply David Mills. “PSE is committed to operating safe, reliable, and responsible facilities for our customers in every community we serve.”

The report concludes that the full containment tank for the Tacoma facility has a “robust design suited for the local conditions,” which includes design features of a safe shutdown in case of an earthquake without loss of containment. The report found no credible failure scenarios for the full containment LNG storage tank. Nevertheless, the tank’s multi-layered design ensures that in the unlikely event the primary containment system has an accidental LNG release the LNG will be completely contained by secondary containment systems.

The full report is available to download from the City of Tacoma’s website.