Seamless, Reliable Communications for Pipeline Maintenance
The Gladstone Transmission Pipeline (GTP) is a 420-kilometre underground transmission pipeline, transporting gas from the Bowen and Surat Basins to a two-train LNG processing facility on Curtis Island in Gladstone.
A GTP team was tasked with the maintenance of the pipeline, alongside providing ground support for the pipeline’s remote operation. However, the remote nature of the project meant that they would require a dedicated communications solution.
Challenges
Because GTP team members were required to regularly travel between checkpoints along the pipeline, they needed constant contact with other team members, the Primary Control Centre in Brisbane and the Pipeline Operations Centre in Gladstone.
Santos GLNG was looking for a communication system that didn’t just facilitate this seamless communication – it would also need to:
- Minimise Santos’ support footprint and the impact on landholders
- Reduce overall cost and timeframes for implementation
- Require in-vehicle and in-field communication options
Solution
Santos GLNG originally planned to use a traditional radio system and had budgeted A$5 million towards its development. However, Hypha instead proposed a satellite-based option, which had several advantages over traditional radio – including:
No need to implement costly digital radio network infrastructure
- Cost-effective switching between mobile and satellite data networks
- Easy-to-deploy solution with high system availability
- Safe extension using Motorola UHF portable radios.
- Hypha’s satellite push-to-talk proved not just ideal for our needs, but it also allowed
Hypha’s satellite push-to-talk proved not just ideal for our needs, but it also allowed us to deploy a communications solution for a fraction of the cost than we’d planned.
Maxime Groenewoud, Project Manager at Santos Limited
Outcome
Hypha’s satellite communications solution is vital for the ongoing maintenance of this major piece of remote infrastructure in Queensland. Its successes include:
- Rolled out in under two months, instead of the two years that were planned for radio development.
- Completed at a cost that was approximately 90% less than the original budget for radio.
- Reduced Total Recordable Case Frequency Rate and better staff safety through constant communication.
- Improved productivity due to faster response times to unexpected events occurring along the pipeline.
We’ve been impressed with the reliability of our satellite communications. It’s enabled our teams to operate safely and efficiently out in the field.
Maxime Groenewoud, Project Manager at Santos Limited
See how Hypha is transforming mission-critical communications in both the enterprise and public safety spaces.