HAMLET — If you see flames shooting in the sky off of Airport Road in the next few days, it’s just routine maintenance.
Piedmont Natural Gas announced that it will be be performing pipeline maintenance near Energy Way, south of Hamlet, from April 23-30.
“These operations will include the use of a flare stack (a large vertical pipe), which could produce a loud noise and result in a tall flame being visible to nearby neighborhoods and businesses,” Jason Wheatley of Piedmont’s Corporate Communications office said in an email. “People in the area also may notice a whistling sound or the smell of natural gas.”
Piedmont is making the announcement to avoid “undue concerns and unnecessary calls to 911,” according to Wheatley.
“Flare stack operation is a controlled process that will be managed and monitored by Piedmont Natural Gas personnel in cooperation with local fire department resources,” he added in a media advisory.
“Piedmont’s No. 1 priority is safety – for its customers, its employees and the communities it serves,” Wheatley said. “These activities are key to continuing Piedmont’s safe, reliable natural gas service and meeting the increased demand for natural gas.”
Similar work has recently been performed in Anson County.
Piedmont Natural Gas is a subsidiary of Duke Energy with more than 1 million residential, commercial and industrial customers in the Carolinas and Tennessee.
