The 797 km Eastern Gas Pipeline (EGP) was built by Duke Energy International and commissioned in 2000. By September 2000, gas was flowing and distributed to businesses and households in the Sydney region, in time for the Sydney Olympics.

The EGP carries gas from Longford in Victoria to Sydney. Gas is supplied to the EGP from the Gippsland Basin at the Longford Compressor Station, the Patricia Baleen Gas Plant, and through the VicHub Interconnect Facility. The pipeline was built with an original capacity of 65 PJ/a and has a current capacity of 98 PJ/a.

Today, the pipeline supplies gas to BlueScope Steel facilities at Port Kembla, TRUenergy’s Tallawarra Power Station, Marubeni’s Smithfield Power Station and Jemena’s gas distribution network in New South Wales.

Travelling up the east coast

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The pipeline extends from Longford through east Gippsland, close to the towns of Bairnsdale, Orbost and Cann River, before turning north past Bombala and Cooma. From the east side of the Snowy Mountains region, it then travels northeast to the coast through Nowra, Port Kembla, Wilton and on to Horsley Park on the outskirts of Sydney.

The route traverses various landscapes, including farmland, state forest, residential areas and a number of different service easements.

There are four compressor units at Longford Compressor Station and one midline compressor station at Mila in New South Wales. Metering stations are located at Bairnsdale and Orbost in Victoria, and Bombala, Bombaderry, Cooma, Hoskinstown, Horsley Park, Nowra, Port Kembla, Yallah and Smithfield in New South Wales.

Pipeline construction

The X70 pipe used for the majority of the pipeline was supplied by BHP Oil and Gas Pipe, with the remainder sourced from Japanese pipe mills. Pipe coating was conducted by Bredero Shaw using fusion-bonded epoxy. More than 90,000 t of steel and 47,000 pieces of pipe were used to build the pipeline.

Built in three spreads, the pipeline was constructed by a joint venture between Transfield, Willbros and Macmahon, which employed approximately 600 workers. The joint venture engaged AJ Lucas to complete seven horizontal directionally drilled crossings for the project.

The pipeline has over 3,000 crossings recorded in the geographic information system (GIS), including 235 on the Port Kembla Lateral and 182 on the SmithfieldLateral.

Adding some competition

Prior to the commissioning of the EGP, the Sydney metropolitan area was only serviced by the Moomba to Sydney Pipeline. The introduction of the EGP provided an alternative gas supply for industrial customers, power generators and retailers supplying smaller industrial, commercial and residential customers in Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales.

Jemena said that the EGP is well positioned to accommodate additional gas-fired power generation and increased retail and industrial demand in the Sydney metropolitan area, making it a hardy contender for other pipelines in the area.

Expanding for the future

In May 2010, Jemena commissioned a fourth compressor unit at the Longford Compressor Station to meet increased demand for the EGP.

Jemena has said that the next stage of expansion will be to increase the EGP’s total capacity from 98 PJ/a to 121 PJ/a over the next few years through the addition of two new midline compressor stations. There is also the capability to loop the EGP in the future should demand exceed the current expansion plans.