APIA Chief Executive Cheryl Cartwright opened the evening with an update on APIA activities update, mentioning the discussions currently being held about changing the name of the association – a major step for the organisation.
The presentation for the evening was given by Josh Wickham, who is the Chair of the South Australian Young Pipeliners Forum (YPF), and was also one of the sponsored APIA YPF members that attended the 2011 Joint Technical Meeting in San Francisco and subsequent study tour of several North American pipeline operators.
Mr Wickham spoke of the visits made to some of the largest gas transmission and distribution companies in North America and Canada, including Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Gas, Williams Gas Pipeline and Rosen, and TransCanada.
Mr Wickham delved into the issues faced by these pipeline operators, which included welding imperfections, unpiggable pipelines and the considerations associated with pipeline design in earthquake-prone areas, such as California.
The event was proudly sponsored by Maloney Field Services and Mears Integrity Solutions.