Under the retrofitting programme

The US Department of Energy (DoE) has announced it will provide $33m in financing for the retrofitting of ten natural gas transmission pipelines.

The latest announcement comes as part of the DoE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy’s ‘rapid encapsulation of pipelines avoiding intensive replacement’ (REPAIR) programme.

Under this programme, REPAIR teams will develop technology for the retrofitting of natural gas transmission pipelines. The technology is aimed at refurbishing existing cast iron and bare steel pipes by making new pipes inside old ones.

Under Secretary of Energy Mark W Menezes stated: “Enhancing America’s energy infrastructure, particularly for our abundant, reliable and affordable natural gas, is one of the highest priorities of this administration.

“The United States is now the world’s largest producer of oil and natural gas, and natural gas exports have quadrupled since President Trump took office. In order to keep up with this growing industry, it is imperative we modernise and build out infrastructure to safely and efficiently bring this product to market.”

According to DoE, the REPAIR engineers must first develop smart coatings, robotic systems to line the inside of pipes, as well as inspection tools to verify the pipes’ integrity before repairs can begin.

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Natural gas is a key source of energy for over 75 million households and businesses in the US.

DoE said that traditional pipes are still in use and make up approximately 3% of distribution pipes in use. However, they account for excessive leaks compared to modern ones.

Last month, the US DoE finalised changes to a policy that would extend the standard time frame for some liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports.

In June 2018, the US DoE signed an implementation agreement with the Israeli Energy Ministry to set up the US-Israel Center of Excellence in Energy, Engineering and Water Technology.