Queensland Gas Pipeline repairs in progress

Replacement pipe has arrived at the site of a Queensland Gas Pipeline leak impacting heavy industry in the Gladstone region. Pipeline owner Jemena said repair work was underway, to be followed by testing, reconnection to the network and a return of operations. The 627km Queensland Gas Pipeline links the Wallumbilla gas hub in southern Central Queensland to large industrial gas users in Gladstone and Rockhampton. The leak erupted near Bauhinia, 220km south-west of Rockhampton, on Tuesday morning. Related: Leak forces gas rationing for Gladstone processing plants "We are working closely with our large industrial customers to support their planning for theresumption of supply via the QGP," a Jemena spokeswoman said. "At this stage, our ambition is for this to occur in the coming weeks. "We completed works yesterday morning (March 7) enabling the supply of additional gasfrom Santos’s GLNG gas pipeline for impacted customers. "The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) are continuing to issue directions under the East Coast Gas Supply function to large industrial users regarding their gas usage. There continue to be no impacts to residential customer supply." Industrial users of gas supplied via the pipeline include Queensland Nitrates, Boyne Smelters, Rio Tinto Yarwun refinery, Orica Yarwun, the Queensland Alumina Limited refinery and the Queensland Magnesia facility at Rockhampton. A Rio Tinto spokesman said the company's operations were stable, though the alumina refineries were running at reduced capacity due to reduced gas supply. "There has been no change to Rio Tinto’s production guidance," he said. "Rio Tinto acknowledges the collaboration across the gas industry as a whole to mitigate the impacts of the incident." The Queensland Conservation Council this week said the incident demonstrated the need to improve monitoring of existing gas infrastructure and transition safely to new renewable energy sources. However the Australian Pipelines & Gas Association defended Australia's pipeline system as a global leader in safety and reliability. "The Australian Pipeline and Gas Association’s Pipeline Operations Group (POG) meet twice yearly to discuss sectoral issues and undertake line-by-line reviews of changes to AS 2885 to ensure the highest safety standards," an APGA spokesman said. "This working group underscores a collective commitment to excellence in industry standards and practices, ensuring the integrity and reliability of energy infrastructure. "In 2022, independent analysis by GPA Engineering examined the reliability of energy infrastructure, in terms of ‘loss of supply’ incidents per 1000km per annum. "Pipelines were found to have 10 times lower incidence of loss of supply events compared to high voltage transmission powerlines, emphasising the industry’s ongoing commitment to safety and reliability." Below: Flashback - footage shared on YouTube on Tuesday as leaking gas erupted into flames. https://www.youtube.com/watch?va5a0Zhz0T3o

Queensland Gas Pipeline repairs in progress

Industry Queensland

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