The Pilbara Pipeline System (PPS) is a system of transmission pipelines located in north-west Western Australia. The pipelines are owned and operated by APA (Pilbara Pipeline) Pty Ltd .
The PPS comprises of three discrete but interconnected gas transmission pipelines:
• the Burrup Extension Pipeline (constructed in 1998)
• the Pilbara Energy Pipeline (constructed in 1995)
• the Karratha Lateral (constructed in 2009).
The Burrup Extension Pipeline (Pipeline Licence PL 38) extends some 24 km from the Woodside gas plant on the Burrup Peninsula to the inlet of the Pilbara Energy Pipeline. That inlet is located adjacent to Dampier to Bunbury Natural Gas Pipeline (DBNGP) Main Line Valve 7, and the Burrup Extension Pipeline interconnects with the DBNGP at Main Line Valve 7. The Burrup Extension Pipeline was built in 1998, has a nominal diameter of 600 mm and a daily capacity of 166 TJ.
The Pilbara Energy Pipeline comprises of two parts. A mainline (Pipeline Licence PL 22) extends 214 km along the Pilbara coast (Karratha), from the inlet adjacent to DBNGP Main Line Valve 7, to Port Hedland. The nominal diameter of the Pilbara Energy Pipeline is 450 mm. A short extension (Pipeline Licence PL 31) was constructed for the transport of gas to a hot briquetted iron plant in Port Hedland. The plant no longer operates but the pipeline continues to be used for the transportation of gas to power stations in Port Hedland.
The Pilbara Energy Pipeline interconnects, at its inlet, with the Burrup Extension Pipeline and the DBNGP. At a point 182 km from the inlet, the Pilbara Energy Pipeline interconnects with the Wodgina Lateral, while at Port Hedland (at the end of the mainline), it interconnects with the Telfer Gas Pipeline. The Pilbara Energy Pipeline has a capacity of 166 TJ/d.
The Karratha Lateral (Pipeline Licence PL 82) extends from an offtake on the Pilbara Energy Pipeline (located about 3.6 km from the Pilbara Energy Pipeline inlet) 5 km to the delivery point for a power station near Karratha. It has a nominal diameter of 200 mm, capacity of 18TJ/day and was built in 2009.
Additional laterals connected to the Pilbara Energy Pipeline are the HBI Lateral (6km long, nominal diameter of 450mm, built in 1996 with a capacity of 18TJ/day) and the Boodarie Gas Lateral (0.2km long, nominal diameter of 200mm, built in 2014 with a capacity of 18TJ/day).
All portions of the Pilbara Pipeline System are currently non-scheme pipelines, and are subject to the access regime for non-scheme pipelines under Chapter 6A of the NGL and Part 23 of the NGR.
