The 250 millimetre class 600 pipeline will run from Port Hedland to Telfer utilising a single compressor station with one duty and one stand-by compressor supplying gas to the onsite power station at Telfer.

The pipeline traverses 100 km of flood plains, including a 600 metre HDD crossing of the De Grey River, and a 300 km section of pipe running through the Great Sandy Desert to the very remote Telfer mine site. The region is one of the hottest environments in Australia, passing to the north of Marble Bar.

GasNet will own and operate the pipeline which will be underpinned by a long term off-take agreement with Newcrest Mining.

The fast-track construction program and harsh working environment has created unique construction, environmental and occupational health and safety challenges for GasNet and McConnell Dowell.

To ensure quality was not compromised by the fast pace of construction, the companies invested in a Differential Scanning Calorimeter and a Chloride Tester to check the quality of the coating on the welded joints as opposed to having samples sent to a laboratory. All of the 20,000 welded joints on the pipeline will be x-rayed to ensure their integrity.

The two companies have also had to equip employees with the training and facilities to contend with everything from working in extreme heat to being ready for rapid evacuation due to cyclones. Safety measures include onsite medical teams, air-conditioned buses and ‘camel-back’ water bottles to help workers deal with the 50 degree heat.

“We had to adapt our methods to the timescale of the project and have brought medical and general safety trainers onsite to provide ongoing training in CPR, four-wheel driving and safe work practices,” said Gregg Ellis, Site Safety Manager.

Three mobile camps accommodate the pipeline’s 270 workers and efforts have been made to provide recreational relief for employees.

“We have a gym, outdoor cinema, a wet mess and a frisby-golf course onsite,” said Mr Ellis.

“The guys have even started an arm-wrestling competition with the entry fees going to the Royal Flying Doctors.”

The pipeline construction zone is also home to an abundance of native fauna. GasNet and McConnell Dowell have appointed Environment Consultant, Kristy Sell of Martinick Bosch Sell, to assist the onsite environmental team to minimise the environmental impact of the pipeline’s construction. Animal escape routes are built into the open trench and teams patrol the trench daily to free fauna that becomes trapped.

Environmental Officers use ‘scramble mats’ positioned at regular intervals to help animals out of the trench. Water is pumped out to prevent drownings and the teams install ‘shelter boxes’ every 100 metres for reptiles to seek shade until rescued.

“We have implemented environmental management measures that go way beyond the requirements of previous projects and have put in place a daily reporting system of all incidents involving animals being freed from the trench,” said Ms Sell.

She said that compared to other areas of the state, little was recorded about the wildlife in the region prior to work commencing and that scientific data gathered on the Telfer project would provide valuable environmental information for Western Australia’s regulatory bodies.

“We have identified over 100 species so far and have sent specimens to the Western Australian Museum,” said Ms Sell.

GasNet CEO Christine O’Reilly said the project provided numerous construction challenges but also offered great opportunities for GasNet personnel to apply their comprehensive pipeline knowledge arising from years of successful operation and maintenance of their assets.

“GasNet has proven to be capable of meeting tight deadlines without compromising our commitment to quality, safety and environmental management issues,” Ms O’Reilly said.

“We have partnered with McConnell Dowell under a fixed lump sum contract to build the Telfer pipeline because they are incredibly experienced in the Australian pipelining industry and considered to be the best at overcoming the hurdles associated with this sort of project.”

Due for completion in June 2004, The Telfer pipeline is designed to be capable of expanded capacity by the addition of further compression to provide for future expansion of the Telfer Goldmine or the connection of existing or new mining projects.