Need to identify a gas leak.... look no further

162 what ???

These signs are all over Brittany, by the roadside, in the middle of fields, they can be found anywhere and everywhere.

For the last fifteen years I have been curious about these triangular yellow signs poking up from the ground. They all have different numbers and the numbers don’t seem to relate to each other… a real puzzle… but now I have solved the mystery…

They are gas line markers.

I wasn’t aware that France used a lot of gas… in our part of Brittany gas isn’t used at all, wood, oil and electricity are the main forms of energy, oh, and of course bottled gas is used for most cookers but I don’t think the gas in these pipes will be used to fill up my blue cooker gas bottle…
France has a HUGE gas network involving more than 35 750 km of pipeline. Not only does France transport gas, it stores it as well.

In Europe, the gas industry has developed huge storage capacity inside salt cavities, unused mines, worked out gas or oil fields, or even in geological aquifers. Natural gas is injected under pressure and then drawn more or less easily according to the characteristics of the storage tank.

In France, there are three storage sites located in salt cavities and 12 in aquifers.


Ok, so France is a pretty big player in the gas industry and these little yellow signs all help in the smooth flow of gas and are, I guess important for identifying the location of any leaks.