PRESSURE tests on the First Philippine Industrial Corp.’s (FPIC) fuel pipeline showed it no longer leaks, Energy Undersecretary Jose Layug Jr. said on Monday.

The DOE official told reporters the pressure in the pipeline remained stable after the tests were conducted. Also, he said there were no leaks on the monitoring wells.

“Nevertheless, we will continue to monitor until this [Tuesday] afternoon. We want to monitor for three days so the results can be more reliable,” Layug said. The DOE team will prepare the report to be submitted to the Supreme Court by Wednesday.

On orders of the Supreme Court, FPIC started the 48-hour pressure-controlled leak test on the oil pipeline on December 14 to determine its structural integrity.

The two-stage test entailed running a scraper “pig” (or pipeline inspection gauges) to eliminate air gaps within the 117-kilometer Batangas-to-Manila pipeline before the pressure-controlled leak test was conducted. The cleaning “pigs” removed voids, gas pockets and dirt inside the pipeline segments, to ensure the accuracy of the leak test.

The second stage was the actual leak test, which involved filling the lines with diesel product to reach the target pressure levels for not more than 48 hours, after which the pipeline was shut down.

Before the tests were conducted, DOE officials said they would consider the effort successful if the holding pressure was maintained for more than 24 hours, fluctuating only minimally because of changes in temperature.