The final International Gas Union (IGU) Working Committee 3 (WOC3) meeting was hosted by the Malaysian Gas Association with representatives from 20 gas transmission operators and owners from 13 countries attending the event. The meeting provided an opportunity to learn about the Malaysian gas industry and to attend a site visit to the Petronas Gas Transmission Centre in Segamat. Ms Jinks’ trip was funded by the Australian Gas Industry Trust (AGIT), which is the Australian chartered member of the IGU.

WOC3 key findings

The WOC3 raised the following issues, which are to be presented for further consideration:

The impact of regulation on gas transmission, safety and security of supply

The IGU undertook research to determine whether incentive regulation has impacted gas transmission safety and security of supply. A survey was conducted with eight operators and five regulators, including Australia.

The findings indicate that there are reasons to be concerned that incentive regulation without quality incentives may reduce safety and security of supply. Most regulators do not rely on incentive mechanisms but do rely on the threat of legal actions.

Incentive regulation need not risk the safety and security of supply. However, regulatory authorities need to be careful that when introducing incentive regulation, they also put in place appropriate incentive mechanisms to uphold safety and security of supply.

A review of new technologies in pipeline and construction monitoring.

The IGU believes a consensus needs to be developed on the technical needs and challenges for future research and development. General problems most commonly affecting gas transmission in Europe, the United States, Canada, Japan and South America are corrosion and third party damage. New tools and methodologies that have been evaluated include: Threat Scan, a susceptibility model for finding high pH stress corrosion cracking; a volumetric scanner for metal loss evaluation; and, remote control aircraft for pipeline patrolling.

The contribution of gas transmission to climate protection and sustainable development.

Research is needed to identify best practice in order to reduce environmental impacts, investigate areas affecting sustainable development – in particular, the effects of climate change – and describe methods for reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

The elements in a gas transmission system defined as environmental impacts are carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen dioxide and noise. Surveys conducted on these areas resulted in various methods selected for further research and presentation at the 2009 World Gas Conference, including:

• Software optimisation tools;
• Reduction of methane emission during repair or replacement of pipeline sections/equipment;
• Gas detection using specialised cameras; and,
• Replacement of old equipment.

WGC2009

The IGU will present papers on the topics above, plus other research topics at the 2009 World Gas Conference (WGC2009), to be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 5–9 October. Ms Jinks is proud to be presenting on behalf of AGIT and representing the Australian gas industry.

IGU research triennium 2009–12

The IGU will be managed under a Malaysian Presidency from October 2009 to June 2012. The following three WOC3 study groups have been formed for the next triennium:

Strategic gas infrastructure projects

The group will look at cross-border pipeline systems and the construction of pipelines under extreme conditions.

Integrity of gas transmission systems and footprint reduction

The project will explore external threats affecting the integrity of pipelines and measures to reduce these threats. The study will also look into the increasing influence and social responsibility of governmental bodies and their ability to design and measure environmental footprints and reduce emissions.

Securing sufficient expertise to safely and adequately operate gas transmission systems

The study group will investigate resourcing qualified expertise for operating and maintaining gas transmission systems safely and adequately, as well as examining if ageing gas transmission systems require more personnel and other expertise.