In this group are eight oil pipeline companies, as well as Gaz de France, one of the leading energy companies in Europe, and Gassco, recently formed by the Norwegian government to oversee the operations of all gas transmission and related facilities operating in Norway. With the addition of Gaz de France and Gassco, PRCI is strengthening the historic role and importance of international participation.
The membership of eight new oil pipeline companies represents the successful accomplishment of a key element of PRCI’s recently-adopted business plan. Under the business plan, PRCI has laid out the blueprint for a sustaining $15-million annual technology programme, a key feature of which will be the voluntary, annual, contributions of its member companies. Consequently, new member growth is essential. However, consistent with the success of the PRCI operating model over its 50 years of service to the industry, the new members will also be contributing the talents of their technical and operations experts to the work of PRCI’s Technical Committees.
This significant commitment by the oil pipeline industry is a key feature of an initiative of the US-based Association of Oil Pipelines (AOPL) to ensure that the oil pipeline industry has a sound and cost-effective resource for addressing the integrity and reliability needs and opportunities of this strategically important industry. PRCI’s eight new oil-company members are: Buckeye Pipe Line Co, US, Chevron Texaco Pipeline Co, US, Colonial Pipeline Co, US, Conoco Phillips Pipeline Co, US, Enbridge Pipelines, Inc , Canada, Explorer Pipeline Co, US, Marathon Ashland Pipeline Co, US, and Texas Eastern Products Pipeline Co (TEPPCO), US.
In addition to the membership of these eight companies, AOPL itself will hold a membership in PRCI under a new membership class Pipeline Industry Organization. The AOPL membership will broaden both the participation of the liquid industry in technology development, and PRCI’s technical perspective.
With the addition of these companies, PRCI has grown to 30 members to create a technology development organization for the energy pipeline industry that is unparalleled in the world.