The meeting was held in Milan, Italy, and over 150 researchers and engineers attended the four-day conference to participate in discussions and presentations relevant to the high pressure transmission pipelines industry.

The meeting saw the Pipeline Research Council International (PRCI) and the Australian Pipeline Industry Association Research and Standards Committee (APIA RSC) sign a reciprocal membership agreement, whereby each organisation will become a member of the other.

The agreement will grant PRCI and APIA RSC access to research results and the provision of opportunities for the collaboration on pipeline research projects that are of mutual interest to both parties.

APIA RSC Chairman Leigh Fletcher said “The signing of this agreement will not only allow the APIA RSC access to PRCI research for the purposes of making our own research stronger, it will also allow the members of the APIA RSC access to PRCI past, present and future research, for use in their own commercial endeavours.

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“This delivers great value to our members and is a tribute to the value that PRCI places upon the work that the APIA RSC does,” he said.

The shared research agreement precedes the Australian Government’s recent approval of the Energy Pipelines Co-operative Research Centre – the country’s first dedicated research centre to ensuring the continued safe and cost effective operation of the nation’s gas pipeline network and provides the foundation for the next generation of pipelines.

The $US14.6 million research centre will initially focus on four areas of pipeline development, covering construction and maintenance, corrosion control, and public safety, through four distinct projects:

  • More efficient use of materials for energy pipelines;
  • Extension of the safe operating life of new and existing energy pipelines;
  • Advanced design and construction of energy pipelines; and
  • Public safety and the security of supply of energy pipelines.