On 11 May 2009, the Berwyndale to Wallumbilla Pipeline, the QSN Link Pipeline and the Wallumbilla Compressor Station were officially opened at Wallumbilla by the South Australian Minister for Energy Patrick Conlon. Also in attendance were the Queensland Parliamentary Secretary to the Energy Minister Michael Choi, and two ‘Fathers of the House’ (longest serving Members of Parliament), Liberal National Party Queensland member Howard Hobbs, and Graeme Gunn from the South Australian Liberal Party. All politicians had a strong interest in the development of the pipelines and the local communities impacted by the construction.

The QSN Link is a 180 km, 400 mm diameter extension of Epic’s South West Queensland Pipeline (SWQP) and has been designed to transport up to 250 TJ/d when fully compressed, operating at pressures up to 15.3 MPa. The pipeline will transport gas from the Wallumbilla Gas Hub through the SWQP to connect with the Moomba to Adelaide Pipeline System and the Moomba to Sydney Pipeline. The capacity of the SWQP, following the first stage expansion, is 168 TJ/d, which is equivalent to 40 per cent of the peak Adelaide demand.

The QSN Link flowed first gas in January 2009, with a second stage expansion committed to and due for completion before January 2013. The front-end engineering and design study on the 400 mm diameter, 115 km third stage expansion is nearing completion.

A second pipeline, the Berwyndale to Wallumbilla Pipeline, runs from a point approximately 8.5 km east of the township of Miles adjacent to the Condamine Power Station, to the Wallumbilla Gas Hub. WDS constructed the pipeline for AGL using three-layered coated, fully welded Class 900 70 X steel pipes.

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AGL Managing Director Michael Fraser and Epic Energy Managing Director Steve Banning jointly officiated the ceremony, and Mr Banning reflected on a number of important factors that contributed to the success of Epic’s QSN Link pipeline.

Constructed by Nacap, Mr Banning spoke of the company’s effective use of extra long pipe lengths – 19.3 m lengths rather than the typical 18 m lengths – that resulted in significantly greater construction efficiency. An automated ultrasonic technique was used to check weld quality, enabling Nacap to set a new record for the number of weld checks completed in a day, which reached in excess of three hundred.

Mr Banning then highlighted some interesting environmental developments that occurred during construction. He said that Epic’s fauna handlers removed 1,002 creatures of various species, including both reptiles and marsupials, from the open pipe trench and discovered two new species for the region, the ‘fat tailed gecko’ and a small carnivorous marsupial named the ‘Giles Planigales’.

In addition, the heritage surveys identified over 130 new sites of significance to local indigenous communities and the project added an extra 2 km of pipe to its overall length in order to avoid environmentally sensitive or culturally sensitive areas.

Interestingly, Mr Banning noted that the average age of welders working on the project was approximately 60 years. One welder even celebrated his 75th birthday while on the job and construction works were halted for a morning tea held in his honour. Mr Banning was also amused to find that the construction crew had its own pastry chef.