In his President’s report, Peter has covered coal seam gas and the activity for our industry in gathering and transmission pipelines, but the activity doesn’t end there.
Over the past few years, more and more events have been added to the APIA calendar. We now have a regular dinner in Darwin and in Sydney. Both Adelaide and Sydney have added a Christmas event, and the activities of the Young Pipeliners Forum continue to expand with educational site visits, networking and social events, and now a range of mentoring opportunities.
The APIA Secretariat has been expanded to accommodate the increased activity, plus the extra work associated with the move of the Australian Gas Industry Trust (AGIT) management to our office and the additional administrative links with the new Energy Pipelines Co-operative Research Centre (EPCRC). As you are aware, our business manager’s role has expanded to include company secretary of the AGIT and board member of the EPCRC (I am still one of the five directors of the AGIT). Steve Dobbie is being ably assisted by Peter Heffernan, a qualified accountant and a great enthusiast for APIA.
Membership has increased, and you can be sure that Gisela Thaurer and Katy Whiting will continue to seek out new members. We are all keen to receive suggestions regarding companies and individuals whom the members believe we should approach to join the Association.
An important international event in 2011 will be the Joint Technical Meeting (JTM) in San Francisco. In spite of its modest title, this is a major biennial international research conference and Australia is a participant because of the tripartite agreement between APIA’s Research and Standards Committee, the European Pipeline Research Group and the US-based Pipeline Research Council International. In 2009, with funding support from APIA, AGIT and Orrcon, APIA provided scholarships for five young pipeline engineers to attend the JTM in Milan and participate in a two-week educational tour of pipeline and gas facilities in Europe.
We are very keen to, again, provide such an opportunity to the young people in the industry. At the moment, APIA has funding for two places. We will apply to the AGIT again, but funding is not guaranteed. If any APIA members would like to support the young people in this industry by providing an opportunity to attend the JTM in San Francisco and tour North American gas and pipeline facilities, please contact Steve Dobbie or myself.
Another important series of events in 2011 will be the launch of the revision to AS2885.3. There are significant changes in this revision, including bringing Part 3 (operation and maintenance) into line with Part 1 (design and construction). The explanation of the changes will be critical to APIA members. There will be seminars outlining the key changes in the standard and these will be held in:
on 18 August;
The seminars will include structured workshops to demonstrate the application of the revised standard.
Also on the educational front, the APIA Guide to AS2885 and the APIA Pipeline Engineer Competency Standards were launched at the 2010 Convention. While the guide will soon be placed on the APIA website, the competency lists are now available on the members-only section, and provide a useful career guide for young pipeline engineers, trainers and anyone who is interested in the skills required in pipeline engineering.
We also hope to achieve some progress this year in dealing with planning authorities around Australia in regard to urban encroachment near transmission pipeline easements. Discussions are underway with state authorities. Our policy adviser, Steve Davies, is collating information for APIA’s Pipeline Corridor Committee. This is a challenging issue and communication with planners and developers is high on the agenda.
I look forward to seeing our members and their guests at the many APIA functions around the nation in 2011.