WOC 3: Gas Transmission

The gas industry is growing and governments are changing the energetic matrix in order to prioritize the use of gas. Shale gas opens a new vision in the gas industry. New markets, new transmission projects, new regulations, and new integrity management systems. Also, it is necessary to obtain Public Acceptance for our operations to show that normally the most convenient means of energy transportation is by pipelines. Furthermore, the companies should report on the different actions they are taking for environmental footprint reduction. During this period, we will be facing new challenges, as well as developing objectives regarding the previous ones.

IGU Working Committee 3

Mr Benjamin Guzman
TGS - Argentina
Operations Vice President
tel: +54 11 4866 6121
E-mail:
 

Mr Martin Slaby
NET4GAS
Czech Republic

tel: +420 602 318 160
E-mail:

Mr Daniel Falabella
TGS - Argentina
Pipeline Integrity Chief

tel: + 54 11 48659060 Ext 1168
E-mail:
 

 

 

Introduction

The world needs more energy every day. Governments are ready to implement new natural gas projects to meet this growth in demand.

The use of natural gas has become widespread because it is one of the cleanest, safest, cheapest and most useful of all energy sources. Thanks to its physical, technical and ecological properties it has a wide range of residential and industrial uses.

Natural gas is easy to manage at a wide variety of pressures and temperatures. Sometimes it can even be converted into liquid and back into a gaseous form (liquefaction - regasification process). New projects for liquefied natural gas (LNG) make it very versatile and possible to use in a number of different locations worldwide. Extensive use of LNG has crossed (and demolished) trade barriers (volumes have doubled over the last 10 years).

In addition, the development of unconventional gas has produced a dramatic change in the US gas market. This has had a collateral impact on global markets.

Natural gas has also proved to be the ideal fuel for industries such as petrochemical, electricity production, steam generation, the food industry, and metal smelting, since they require a clean environment, carefully controlled processes, and highly reliable and efficient fuels.

Natural gas can be converted into hydrogen, ethylene and methanol – the raw materials for manufacturing several different kind of plastic and fertilizers.

For all these reasons natural gas is increasingly being included in energy matrices worldwide.

Natural gas reservoirs have been identified in remote regions, far from consumers and in some cases far out to sea. Gas pipelines sometimes even cross country borders and entire continents. Natural gas transportation systems are therefore of vital importance. On the one hand, new systems need to be designed to transport large quantities of gas economically in an environmentally friendly way. On the other hand, existing systems need to be upgraded to avoid accidents.

We therefore need to focus on Pipeline Integrity.

These are the Working Committee´s major objectives..

Other important issues include compressor stations, as these are a part of the transportation system.

We have therefore set up 3 different Study Groups to address all of these issues.

Contents

Study Groups scope

  1. Study Group 3.1 (SG3.1) -  NEW TRANSMISSION PROJECTS
  2. Study Group 3.2 (SG3.2) - PIPELINE INTEGRITY MANAGEMENTS SYSTEMS
  3. Study Group 3.3 (SG3.3) - PUBLIC ACCEPTANCE and NEW TECHNOLOGIES

 

Meetings

Mar del Plata, Argentina (2012)

Bratislava, Slovakia - S.G 3.1 (2013)

Ballerup, Denmark - S.G. 3.2 (2013)

Bratislava, Slovakia - S.G 3.3 (2013)

Houston, USA (2013)

Italy (2014)

Praga (2014)