22 / 100
wherein the contractor even ignored the pipeline warning
boards.
Non-compliance of agency recommendations
The safety aspects of oil and gas pipelines are governed
by three key agencies: OISD; Petroleum and Explosives
Safety Organisation (PESO); and the PNGRB. OISD carries
out periodic and preconditioning audits of cross-country
pipelines, as well as additional safety checks and measures
to ensure the protection of the oil and natural gas pipeline
network. This includes monitoring of the pipeline through
the pipeline integrity management system, supervisory
control and data acquisition (SCADA), sustained ground
patrolling, an inspection of the right-of-way (ROW), surge
analysis, etc.
PESO, which comes under the Department of Industrial
Policy and Promotion, handles safety regulations in the
cross-country pipeline. PNGRB, constituted in 2006, has
the mandate to oversee and enforce safety measures under
various acts and rules in oil and gas installations, including
pipelines and transport.
In addition, the PNGRB’s 2012 integrity management
system outlines the basic features and requirements
for developing and implementing an effective, efficient
integrity management plan for the natural gas pipeline
system. These regulations apply to all the entities laying,
building, operating or expanding natural gas pipelines. The
key objective of this regulation is always to maintain the
integrity of natural gas pipelines to ensure public safety,
protect the environment, ensure the availability of pipelines
to transport gas without interruptions, and minimise
business risks associated with accidents and losses. However,
time and again several provisions of these directives and
regulations have not been adhered to, thus attracting hefty
penalties from these key agencies.
Poor monetary mechanism of pipeline integrity
One of the prominent reasons for pipeline failures has been
the poor monetary mechanism of pipelines in place. PNGRB
and OISD mandate the monitoring and control of natural
gas pipeline systems and safeguard the pipelines against
corrosive elements/impurities such as moisture and carbon.
Table 1. Gas pipeline network as on 1 October 2019
Network/region
Entity
Length
(km)
Design capacity
(million m
3
/d)
Pipeline size
(in.)
Capacity utilisation
Apr-Sep 2019 (%)
Hazira-Vijaipur-Jagdishpur Pipeline/Gas rehabilitation and expansion
project pipeline/Dahej-Vijaipur Pipeline & spur/Vijaipur-Dadri Pipeline
GAIL 4554
53
36
48
DVLP-GREP upgrade (DVPL-II & VDPL)
GAIL 1385
54
48
Chhainsa-Jhajjar-Hissar Pipeline (CJPL) including spur lines *
GAIL 310
5
36/16
Dadri-Bawana-Nagal Pipeline (DBPL)
GAIL 852
31
36/30/24/18
Dahej-Uran-Panvel Pipeline (DUPL/DPPL) including spur lines
GAIL 928
20
30/18
53
Dabhol-Bengaluru Pipeline (including spur)
GAIL 48
6
16/4
45
Kochi-Koottanad-Bengaluru-Mangalore (Phase-1)
GAIL 1116
16
36/4
2
Tripura (Agartala)
GAIL 60
2
12
37
Gujurat
GAIL 685
9
24/16
26
Rajasthan
GAIL 151
2
12
2
Mumbai (Uran-Thal-Usar & Trombay-RCF)
GAIL 131
7
26
72
Krishna Godavari (KG) Basin
GAIL 884
16
18
29
Cauvery Basin
GAIL 306
9
18
31
Jagdishpur-Haldia and Bokaro-Dhamra Pipeline (JHBDPL)
GAIL 750
16
36/24/18/12/8 0.1
East-West Pipeline
PIL 1470
80
48
26
Shahdol-Phulpur Pipeline
RGPL 304
4
16
25
Gujurat State Petronet Ltd’s (GSPL) network
GSPL 2692
43
Assorted
Assam network^
AGCL 215
5
Assorted
75
Dadri-Panipat
IOCL 140
10
30
52
Total
16 981 387
Source: PPAC Ready Reckoner, November 2019
* Capacity/throughput of CJHPL and DBPL pipelines are not included in total capacity/throughput, as these are extensions of DVPL-II/VDPL.
^ Excludes CGD pipeline network; up to August 2019.
Dedicated pipeline length of GAIL & AGCL’s networks are included in lengths of various pipelines.
GAIL: Gas Authority of India Ltd; PIL: Pipeline Infrastructure Ltd; RGPL: Reliance Gas Pipeline Ltd; IOCL: Indian Oil Corporation Ltd; AGCL: Assam Gas
Company Ltd.
20
World Pipelines
/
MARCH 2020