Pipeline Operations Group (POG) members share real-world experiences of government regulation, safety and environmental concerns, equipment performance and people issues associated with working in remote locations.
James Smith, Executive General Manager Transmission Operations with Australian Gas Infrastructure Group (AGIG), is the second guest in our ongoing series highlighting the important work of the APGA committees through the views of a committee member. James has over 30 years of experience in the industry, starting out as part of the Dampier to Bunbury Natural Gas Pipeline (DBNGP) and now heading up field operations at AGIG to ensure reliability, good customer service and the future of operations.
During that time, he has been a member and chair of the Pipeline Operations Group (POG), contributing to the committees’ achievements, such as organising Pipeline Controller Forums which brought together control room staff from operating companies to share information and set benchmarks in control room operations. Establishing a carbon efficiency sub-committee to share ideas on ways to save energy and establishing the Rotating Plant Subcommittee to share ideas on safety, cost-management and power output issues associated with rotating plant.
Which committees have you been a member of?
I became a part of the gas industry when it was still called the Australian Pipeline Industry Association (APIA). I was a member of the Western Australia (WA) chapter. Western Australia was granted its own chapter, which was slightly different than the east, I was a member of that chapter for about four years, back in the early 2000s.
The one that I’ve always been a part of and committed to is the Pipeline Operations Group (POG). I joined that formally in the early 2000s, partly playing a role prior to that, but I have been an active member with that group for a long time, including chairman of the committee, which was a really satisfying role.
What does the committee work on?
We’re interested in asset operations and how to solve different engineering problems across the industry, and public safety making sure our assets are seen but not heard. By doing that, creating a stronger and safer industry.
Most of the committee members now operate gas turbines, gas compressors and power generation units, whilst they are all similar in nature, they are different to some extent. This provides an opportunity to share problems and solutions around different process upsets, technical issues and general learnings about assets in the ground. They might take new technologies to solve some of these problems, or operators may be using this new technology so you’re able to share how that new technology works in practice, the benefits and the difficulties and drawbacks.
We are proud, across the industry, to have very high standards, which support our operations in Australia. It’s only through that collaboration network that you’re able to develop and support those standards.
The contribution of APGA committees to the industry?
Safety. Safety is always first on the agenda. The safety committee, not just the safety committee of APGA, but all the other participating groups. POG is one of those where it provides a platform to share. When you share new and good ideas you can influence the safety practice, you get this through cross-pollination of sharing to improve standards and the expectations of contractors and operators. That naturally ends up with improved safety outcomes. So APGA provides that platform and the committees put runs on the board which demonstrates real outcomes in safety. As a POG committee we have developed a national safety awareness package to help shires, town planners and landowners understand our role in their world and their role in our world. Our pipeline incident database is a strategic database to eventually help us manage improved engineering safety standards.
What has the committee done for your career?
If I look at how my career has grown off the back of this fantastic asset in WA, it was only through the committee that my network opened and expanded across the country. I would never have had the opportunity to meet as many people and expand my network east without it.
Serving on committees gives you a platform and a vehicle to actually get to know people. You build friendships and you build those connection that no matter what problem you have, you can give somebody a call.
What would you say to a person considering joining a committee?
I would say if you have been thinking about it, do it. There is only good that comes from it. As an individual, there is a great deal of learning potential out there if you want it. Key to that though is joining a committee to participate. Don’t join a committee to become a bystander, you won’t get the value from it. But if you join to participate, you’ll get immense value from it. It comes down to you as an individual.
What are the people like within the committee?
Within the Pipeline Operations Group, we are a fairly small committee, but everybody that’s there is there for the same reason, to share and learn.
We have a vibrant group of people, a blend of newcomers and old timers, offering a voice for operators around the country. We were able to put problems on the table and a have robust discussions about them. Then at the end of the meeting, stand together have a meal and be social, which is a massive part of what the operators are about.
I always bring it back to the single most important thing. When something goes wrong in your operation, and you need help, you can’t get that expertise off the street. The ones you call on are those that you meet with at the committee meeting because they’re the relationships you’ve built and that’s the real value that I see in the committee.
Will you continue your work on the committee?
Absolutely. Whether I’m there in person or one of my people that eventually take it on. We will certainly continue to be a part of the Pipeline Operations Group committee.
This article is featured in the September edition of The Australian Pipeliner.
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