2023’s Pipeline Operations Group (POG) Seminar, held 2 March, took a hard look at what the pipeline industry has learned in the last year, and what the future might hold for industry operators.
The POG Seminar put action to the group’s intention to leave commercial issues at the door so that members can share real-world experiences of government regulation, safety, environmental concerns and equipment performance.
Discussions and learnings on challenging crossings dominated the morning schedule, with representatives from First Gas, Jemena and APA Group delivering presentations covering topics from washouts to river crossings.
Morning sessions culminated in a panel discussion focused on discussing those issues collaboratively and responding to questions from attendees.
The next batch of sessions, chaired by Beach Energy Project Manager Otway Nearshore Sam Maloney, saw representative from Rosen and Jemena looking closer at water crossings and integrity management on crossings.
Verbrec Pipelines Manager, Gabriel Pizani, and Jeff Jones – Director of Project Delivery Assurance – finished the morning with an informative session update to the Standards Australia’s AS2885.3, covering the operation and maintenance of gas and liquid petroleum pipelines.
The after-lunch sessions – hosted by Tas Gas General Manager Engineering and Operations, John Jamieson – held a range of sessions that looked at lessons learned from operations.
SEA Gas, APA and AGIG representative delivered session on water bath heater inspection findings, APA’s integrated operational centre and the scale challenge associated with hydrogen.
In the final session for the day APGA CEO Steve Davies facilitated an expert panel discussion to discuss the path forward as the pipeline industry strives to achieve net zero targets.
The discussion delivered fantastic insight into the challenges – and potential solutions – for pipeline operators in the shift to net zero.
Representatives from the Australian Gas Infrastructure Group, Zinfra and APA specific issues, such as the difficulty related to measuring and managing methane emissions, but also looked more broadly at the Federal Government’s security mechanism and what that means for operators – what is the measurable cost associated with the mechanism? What is the value of purchasing carbon credits over investing in the infrastructure and facilities to achieve net zero? What is net zero?
The 2023 POG Seminar brought pipeline personnel from across the country together, offering the opportunity to share insights, collaborate on solutions and strengthen existing relationships as the industry takes a leading position in the global push to change the way energy and resources transported and stored.
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