SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report - November 23, 1994
CENTRAL HUDSON GAS & ELECTRIC CORPORATION
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
New York 1-3268 14-0555980
- ---------------------------- ---------------- -------------
(State or other jurisdiction (Commission File (IRS Employer
of incorporation) Number) Identification
Number
284 South Avenue, Poughkeepsie, New York 12601-4879
- ---------------------------------------- -----------
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
Registrant's telephone number, including area code (914) 452-2000
CENTRAL HUDSON GAS & ELECTRIC CORPORATION
Item 5. Other Events.
Wappingers Falls Incident
Reference is made to Part I, Item 1 of
Registrant's Annual Report, on Form 10-K, for the fiscal year
ended December 31, 1993 and to the caption "Business - Other
Matters - Gas Service Incident" and to Registrant's Quarterly
Report, on Form 10-Q, for the quarterly period ended September
30, 1994, and to Item 1 thereof under the caption "4. Wappingers
Falls Incident" for a description of an incident that occurred in
the Village of Wappingers Falls, New York on February 12, 1994 in
Registrant's service territory. The incident involved an
explosion and fire at a residence and, a short time later, an
explosion and fire at a nearby commercial building.
By Report, dated October 25, 1994, of the Energy
and Water Division ("PSC Staff") Safety and Reliability of the
New York Public Service Commission ("PSC"), the PSC Staff among
other things concluded that the probable cause of the incident
was an ignition of gas that accumulated in each of the structures
after migrating through the ground from a leak in Registrant's
gas main in the immediate area of the two destroyed buildings.
Said Report was accepted by the PSC on November 9, 1994 and
received by Registrant on November 10, 1994.
Registrant continues to investigate this incident,
but disagrees that the facts known to date support the
conclusions in the Report of the PSC Staff as to the probable
cause of the incident. As reported in Registrant's 10-Q referred
to above, "Registrant, on October 17, 1994, publicly stated that
an investigation it had undertaken had not yet determined what
caused the first explosion, which destroyed a residence, but that
a reconstruction of the sequence of events indicates that the
explosion in the residence was not caused by natural gas. The
investigation also indicates that the force of this initial
explosion, in combination with deep frost conditions, caused a
weld in a natural gas pipeline of the Registrant to crack." In
this regard, the PSC Staff Report states as follows: "The
metallurgists report, to which staff does not take exception, has
concluded that a defect in a weld, present in the pipe since its
fabrication in 1929, failed suddenly as a result of increased
stress due to the unusual depth of frost penetration last winter.
A sudden impact stress could also have contributed to the
failure, but can only be speculated upon."
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be
signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
CENTRAL HUDSON GAS & ELECTRIC CORPORATION
(Registrant)
By
---------------------------------------
John F. Drain,
Vice President - Finance and Controller
Dated: November 23, 1994
