Technical Advisory Group

1
Technical Advisory Group

• 2 February 2009

2
History of TAG

• Established in August 2005 to deal with two
  distinct elements of the Corrib project.
• To administer a thorough and independent Safety
  Review of the onshore, upstream section of the
  Corrib gas pipeline.
• The second was to put in place and administer an
  upgraded monitoring and inspection regime for the
  pipeline.

3
Safety Review

• Advantica were commissioned to conduct the review
  in late 2005.
• After two rounds of public consultation, the
  Review was published in May 2006, along with a
  TAG report to the Minister.

4
Outcome of Advantica

• Provided that it can be demonstrated that the
  pressure in the onshore pipeline will be limited
  effectively, and that the recommendations made
  elsewhere in this report are followed, we believe
  that there will be a substantial safety margin in
  the pipeline design, and the pipeline design and
  proposed route should be accepted as meeting or
  exceeding international standards in terms of the
  acceptability of risk and international best
  practice for high pressure pipelines.

5
Societal Risk Assessment

• Advantica were also asked to conduct a Societal
  Risk Assessment, in addition to an individual
  risk assessment (follow on to JP Kenny study).
• Found that calculated risk levels were broadly
  acceptable, but noted an uncertainty at higher
  pressures

6
Pressures

• Operating pressure in pipeline has always been in
  the 100-120 bar range, with the 345 bar maximum
  design pressure in place solely as a safety
  feature.
• Advantica/TAG recommended an additional safety
  measure a shore valve designed to limit
  pressure to 144bar in the highly unlikely event
  of a systems failure offshore.

7
Other Advantica recommendations

• Ground conditions
• Codes
• Integrity Management Plan/FMECA
• Design Codes (The primary pipeline design code
  is hereby designated by TAG to be IS EN 14161
  however IS 328 and PD 8010 shall apply where they
  exceed IS EN 14161. )

8
Role in new process

• Make judgement on safety of any new route/design
• Have received a large amount of material from
  SEPIL, and engaged independent firm to examine
  same.

9
In future CER

• A key component of the Framework is a Safety Case
  regime. Under this regime, each undertaking is
  required to submit a Safety Case to the
  Commission for its review and acceptance.
  Essentially the Safety Case regime is a risk and
  outcomes based approach to the management of gas
  safety risks to a level that is as low as
  reasonably practicable for each undertaking.