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Authority to Survey (ATS) Approval Granted
Authority to Survey (ATS) An application for an ATS was submitted in July 2022. This application was assessed by the NSW Government and approved on 13 January 2023. The NSW Government has recently renewed this Authority to Survey (ATS) for the Hunter Gas Pipeline and...
Fact sheets
FAQs
Depth of cover
- The nominal depth of cover is 900mm (min 750mm, max 1800mm).
- Each pipeline is designed (AS 2885) to take account of the known and proposed land uses, and risks based on the environment.
- This will mean the specific depth of cover will vary along the route and may vary based on environmental considerations and activity underway.
Water impacts
- Santos will continue to engage with landholders along the route to understand and address concerns about the pipeline.
- It is not unusual for major pipelines to be constructed across land that is subject to either regular or infrequent inundation.
- Santos will apply stringent controls to deliver this project, consistent with the approved conditions of consent and Australian standards that guide the design, construction and operation of pipeline infrastructure.
- The design of the pipeline will need to consider the potential for pipeline buoyancy, erosion, stream migration and other events that could pose a risk to the pipeline over time.
- Available measures to address these risks include careful selection of watercourse crossing locations, additional depth of cover, concrete coating of the pipeline and anchoring devices to ensure that the pipe is negatively buoyant.
- We are confident that the pipeline will not impact water supply in any communities along the pipeline route.
Major crossings - watercourses, roads and rail
- Crossings of watercourses, roads and rail will be constructed by open cut trenching or trenchless methods such as Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) depending upon the type of crossing and geotechnical conditions.
- These crossing details are informed through the survey activities and Engineering design.
Open cut trenching
- Normally dry watercourses will typically be crossed using open cut trenching.
- Watercourse bed and bank material and trench spoil will be stockpiled away from watercourse banks.
- Sediment and water quality controls applied as necessary.
- Original channel configurations will be re-established, and the banks replaced, compacted, and restored.
- Additional erosion control methods such as specific fabrics (i.e. jute matting) or rock armouring may be installed on the banks of watercourses.
Horizontal directional drilling
- HDD will typically be used for crossings of major watercourses or other high sensitivity locations.
- HDD avoids disturbance to the surface of the land for the length of the drill and therefore results in reduced impacts to the environmental values of the watercourse and surrounding riparian areas.
- HDDs required will be informed through the survey process and FEED based on outcomes of further site investigations.
Agricultural activities following rehabilitation
- Normal agricultural production (including cropping) can recommence within the easement following construction.
Driving machinery over the pipeline
- Where landholders indicate that they need to traverse the easement with heavy machinery on a regular basis, we will ensure that the design of the pipeline is appropriate to accommodate the additional loads.
- This may involve additional burial depth, thicker walled pipe sections and/or dedicated heavy vehicle crossing points.
- AS2885 requires Santos to design the pipeline to accommodate all reasonably foreseeable circumstances including loads associated with farm machinery.
- We are confident that we will be able to accommodate all reasonable requirements for a full range of farm machinery and vehicles without impacting on your day-to-day operations.
Safety
- Australia has in excess of 42,000 kilometres of natural gas transmission pipelines.
- Gas transmission pipelines in Australia are designed, constructed, tested, operated and maintained in accordance with Australian Standard (AS) 2885 – Pipelines – Gas and Liquid Petroleum. AS 2885 is written from a safety perspective and requires extensive investigation to identify, document and control any risks to the pipeline along its entire length. This ensures public safety is at the forefront of the decision-making process to safeguard landholders and the community, protect the environment and provide security of supply to gas users.
Hydrogen
- As part of the engineering design, Santos will assess the requirements to transport hydrogen with consideration for the existing pipeline network and future customer demand as sit evolves during the energy transition.
- In order to transport hydrogen, a modification to the existing approval would be required.