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Asset Safety and Integrity

Design

During a pipeline’s design phase, we prioritize compliance with regulations and industry standards for safety, efficiency, and reliability, while optimizing the route to minimize impacts on sensitive areas and local communities.

Construction

During pipeline construction, we prioritize compliance over cost and conduct activity inspections and weld integrity checks to ensure high quality. During the construction process, we work with contractors who meet our high quality, safety, and performance standards which are evaluated through the ISNetworld^® (ISN) digital platform on an ongoing basis. We conduct rigorous checks before new assets are approved for service such as hydrostatic pressure tests, pipe geometry inspections, and corrosion protection assessments to confirm fitness for service.

Operations

We take a fully integrated approach to safety through simultaneous operations that include the combined efforts of our Production, Construction, and Midstream teams. This unified approach enhances efficiency and response time, while promoting safety as an organization-wide priority.

Our Pipeline Integrity and Field Operations teams maintain standard operating procedures, construction records, and oversight of operator qualification and training for employees and contractors. High-consequence areas are identified and managed through our pipeline integrity program to reduce the risk of public or environmental harm.

Storage Well Safety and Integrity

We conduct annual audits and inspections mandated by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) and state pipeline safety agencies. During 2024, we conducted additional inspections of Equitrans assets as part of the due diligence process leading up to, and following, the closing of the acquisition. Recent PHMSA audits focused on integrity management programs for underground natural gas storage. We also leveraged our downhole expertise as an upstream operator to complete multiple storage audits, assess the strength of our Storage Integrity Management Plan, address all action items, and implement improvements.

Rager Mountain Storage Facility Incident

The Rager Mountain facility, in Jackson Township, Cambria County, Pennsylvania, has operated as a storage pool since 1971 with a capacity of approximately 11,600 million cubic feet (MMcf) of natural gas. On November 6, 2022, natural gas escaped from a vent on well 2244, causing a temporary suspension of gas flow. There were no injuries or immediate public safety concerns, and venting was resolved on November 19, 2022. Equitrans, the operator of the well at the time of the incident, complied with and completed all required corrective actions outlined in the Department of Environmental Protection’s orders. EQT will continue to work with the respective state and federal agencies as it works to return the field to full operations.

Managing Asset Safety and Integrity

We use a range of risk mitigation strategies as part of our asset management and operations. Since acquiring Equitrans in July 2024, a key component of our management approach has been consolidating our tools and adopting change management practices to meet evolving regulations, including the application of EQT’s Process Safety Management (PSM) program. By aligning our operations with PSM standards, we have strengthened our safety culture and established consistent protocols throughout the organization.

We leverage field data to target high-risk areas and focus our resources on identifying and addressing potential risks. Through our digital work environment, we track and monitor field-level failures and issues, identify and address common failure points in real-time, and mitigate such matters promptly and efficiently.

We have worked extensively to integrate and refine our Standard Operating Procedures. At the end of 2024, we combined the best practices from both organizations to create comprehensive procedures that go beyond regulatory compliance. We have also focused on improving our crisis management and emergency response plans by adopting universally accepted Incident Command System principles.

In addition to strict adherence to all federal regulations, we also mandate non-destructive testing (NDT) on all pipeline welds to meet industry standards, with additional oversight from NDT auditors on large projects. Every welder must hold an EQT Welder Certification, and completed pipelines undergo hydrostatic testing above normal operating pressure to verify the integrity of all components. Importantly, our inspectors verify that our pipeline construction contractors meet qualifications and follow our Design and Construction Manual. In addition, EQT routinely audits inspectors to ensure compliance with company and applicable regulatory requirements.

We continuously evaluate PHMSA’s Mega Rule and will continue to incorporate changes in inspections, along with other actions. The Mega Rule aims to improve pipeline safety and better prepare emergency responders for incidents by:

• Intensifying risk assessment and maximum allowable operating pressure (MAOP) requirements;
• Expanding regulations to include gathering lines and other previously non-regulated lines; and
• Increasing reporting requirements and safety regulations.

As part of our integration with Equitrans, we enhanced our understanding of MAOP requirements and integrated this knowledge into our processes, which positioned us for continuous improvement. We conducted supplemental investigations and performed confirmation digs for MAOP verification in compliance with the Mega Rule requirements. We also revisited our construction standards to align with industry-leading safety protocols and operational efficiency, updating plans and processes to better align with the Mega Rule. While many of our practices were already closely aligned with the new provisions, we continue to implement all Mega Rule requirements by their respective due dates.

We recognize the importance of security to ensure safety and business continuity, particularly for our pipeline assets, compressor facilities, and project sites. As outlined in the company’s security guidelines, we are committed to providing a safe and secure environment for all employees, customers, suppliers, vendors, and guests. These guidelines, available for employee access and reference in our digital work environment, are intended to create a consistent approach to protect people, assets, and information while mitigating risks to EQT.

Our Approach to Asset Security

From both a safety and business continuity perspective, we must use stringent security measures for all our pipeline assets and project sites. We work closely with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration to ensure our enterprise abides by all federal security regulations and directives.

Asset and Operations Security, Training, and Standards

Our security guards receive thorough security training, including site-specific hazard identification. Our training program covers pipeline security, crisis response, sabotage detection, and protest management. We protect assets with fences, locks, electronic monitoring, and 24-hour surveillance. The security at construction sites is deployed according to risk level, with 24-hour guards or camera systems for high-risk sites. Additionally, we track protests and evaluate security risks on an ongoing basis. Security personnel “observe and report” and assist with evacuations when needed, with armed guards deployed only in select cases.