Pacific Gas & Electric said it has taken its McDonald Island natural gas facility out of service after the utility detected small leaks of methane from some of the wells on the island.
PG&E said the “low-level emissions” on the man-made island in an unpopulated area near the Sacramento River Delta, do not present any risk to the public or the environment.
The leaks were discovered during statewide testing mandated by the California Public Utilities Commission in the aftermath of the massive, four-month-long leak of natural gas from South California Edision’s Aliso Canyon storage facility in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles.
PG&E said it has ample supplies of natural gas in other storage facilities to make up for the McDonald Island capacity. It said it hopes to resume injections and withdrawals of natural gas at the facility by September.