The Conflicts and Solutions to Complying with the Grounding Revisions of the 2005 National Electrical Code® for Cathodically Protected Facilities

During the 2005 National Electrical Codereg (NECreg) review cycle, a relatively simple revision was made that will have a significant impact on the cathodic protection systems of petroleum and chemical facilities (plants) in the future. The 2005 NEC now makes it clear that there must be an interconnection of all concrete-encased steel reinforcing bar (rebar) to the facility grounding electrode system. For facilities using copper grounding electrode systems and also having cathodic protection as part of their corrosion mitigation and integrity programs, this revision may require a facility to change their entire cathodic protection design and operating philosophy. It will definitely require greater coordination and cooperation between the various engineering and construction disciplines. This paper will discuss some of the technical aspects of this grounding requirement and build a case for the cathodic protection philosophy that the authors believe will be necessary to comply with both NEC and process safety management program requirements.