Peter Cox, one of the winners at the 2022 APGA Awards, offers his perspective on the pipeline industry as it is now, and what may be in store as Australia, and the rest of the world, make moves to lower emissions.
As part of the Australian Pipeline and Gas Association (APGA) annual conference and exhibition, it hosts an annual awards ceremony to acknowledge and celebrate the services of companies and individuals in the pipeline industry.
This year, the winner of the APGA award for Outstanding Contribution to the Australian Pipeline Industry went to Peter Cox, the Vice President Energy & Chemicals – Australia East & PNG for Worley.
Cox has spent more than three decades working with Worley. First as a mechanical design engineer and eventually attaining his current role, as well as becoming a member of the APGA board.
As well as continuously exceeding in his career, Cox has given time to mentoring young engineers just stepping into the industry, ensuring a strong new generation for the future.
Cox shares with The Australian Pipeliner about his career, the past, and his thoughts on the future of the pipeline industry.
How would you describe your career so far?
My career has been very rewarding as I have taken the opportunities when presented. When Bruce Andrews started to step back from managing the Worley pipeline business, he gave me the opportunity to step up and succeed in the role, including taking on an APGA Board position. I’ve always put my hand up to contribute to or lead industry initiatives, which has given me the opportunity to work with passionate people across all facets of industry and enabled me to take pride in the achievements made along the way.
Have you always been interested in the strategy and business side of industry, or are you still an engineer at heart?
I believe that the two cannot be separated. To succeed in business with successful strategy, a detailed knowledge and understanding of the engineering is essential. The real opportunities to find faster and more efficient ways of achieving business objectives can only be done safely through engineering. I’ve been lucky to always have a network of subject matter experts in Worley to test ideas and improve strategies.
The APGA award that you won was for outstanding contributions – which of these contributions are you most proud of?
Helping to steer both APGA and the Future Fuels CRC to successful outcomes through my roles with the board has enabled me to influence many initiatives. Probably the most significant ones, those that I am most proud of, would include producing the Code of Practice for PE Gathering Systems, and mentoring early-career engineers – getting them involved in the many research projects through the Energy Pipelines and Future Fuels CRCs.
Are there any highlights from your career that you’d like to share?
One of the more memorable highlights would be leading the Worley response to the Longford Gas Plant incident back in 1998 which curtailed Melbourne’s gas supply. Firstly, I was involved in designing and constructing a temporary compressor station at Young to boost NSW gas to Victoria which we got operational within two weeks after the incident. Then I led the design and construction of three permanent compressor stations at Bulla Park, Young and Springhurst which we had operational within six months.
Have you achieved everything you wanted to in your career yet? If not, what’s left?
Definitely not. My passion currently is steering the energy transition to a net zero future through development and implementation of new technologies. It is a major societal change, and it is very exciting to be at the forefront of delivering it.
How do you think the future of the pipeline industry will change in the next 10 years?
We will see major change in the next 10 years through modifying our pipelines to transport blends of hydrogen, carbon dioxide, ammonia, biogas, sustainable aviation fuel and water – to name a just a few. If we don’t make these major changes in the next 10 years, we will not achieve the climate targets set.
What is next for you?
For me personally, I am committed to helping commercialise these new technologies needed, which requires the necessary social licence – and Government policy — needed to enable the energy transition. My position in Worley and the Future Fuels CRC uniquely provides me the opportunity to play a role to enable all of the changes necessary, and to influence this new and exciting future.
The Outstanding Contribution to the Australian Pipeline Industry award is clearly a well-earned one for this respected and pioneering member of the pipeline industry. It is Cox, and those industry operators like him, who offer the best chance of succeeding in the energy transition faced by Australia in the coming years.
For more information, visit APGA.
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This article is featured in the November edition of The Australian Pipeliner.