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Gas pipeline and infrastructure safety

ESV audits, monitors and reviews safety framework and construction and operation activities undertaken by industry.

Overview

Energy Safe Victoria regulates the safety of gas infrastructure and licensed pipelines in Victoria. We are responsible for ensuring the public is protected from environmental, health and safety risks resulting from gas infrastructure and licensed pipelines, and for ensuring the safe conveyance, sale, supply, and use of gas.

Regulation is conducted in accordance with the Gas Safety Act 1997, Pipelines Act 2005 and Gas Industry Act 2001 (the Acts).

ESV audits, monitors and reviews safety framework and construction and operation activities undertaken by the industry participants. In doing so, compliance is assessed in accordance with the applicable Australian and International StandardsExternal Link .

Gas and pipeline industry

The gas infrastructure and pipelines sector comprises:

  • Licensed pipelines, which includes:
  • Gas infrastructure, which includes:
    • natural gas distribution
    • reticulated Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)
    • Liquefied Petroleum Gas retailers
    • Landfill biogas
    • Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)
    • Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).
  • Natural gas retailers.

Gas pipeline information bulletins

  1. Illegal repairs to damaged live gas infrastructure:
  2. Building Near Pipelines
    1. Building Near Pipelines: Restrictions and Responsibilities:
    2. Application for Ministerial Consent:
  3. Transmission Pipeline Encroachment Enforcement Strategy:
  4. Gas Asset Damage Enforcement Strategy:
  5. Cathodic Protection
    1. Cathodic Protection Report by Exception Guidelines:
    2. Cathodic Protection Report Templates:
  6. Classification of Audit Findings:

Key performance indicators

Natural Gas Transmission

Non-Natural Gas Transmission

Specifications for Victorian Licensed Pipelines Industry Group – reporting requirements

These reporting requirements came into effect on 1 July 2018.

Annual reporting

Contact us

If you have any queries in relation to gas infrastructure and pipeline safety, please contact our Gas Technical Helpline directly on 1800 652 563 or by email on gastechnicalenquiry@energysafe.vic.gov.au.

Gas Infrastructure Safety Cases

As at 22 October 2018, two sets of gas safety regulations under the Gas Safety Act 1997External Link came into effect.

Most of the provisions from the Gas Safety (Gas Quality) Regulations 2017 have been included in the new Gas Safety (Safety Case) Regulations 2018 as they are largely of interest to the same stakeholders. One provision relating to the supply of LPG has been included in the Gas Safety (Gas Installation) Regulations 2018 given it has broader application across the gas supply industry.

Gas Safety (Gas Installation) Regulations 2018

The primary objective of the Regulations is to reduce the risks associated with the use of gas appliances and gasfitting work, and to ensure that controls on gas appliances and complex gas installations operate efficiently.

Gas Safety (Safety Case) Regulations 2018

The regulations require gas companies – including natural gas transmission and distribution companies, gas retailers and LP Gas businesses – to submit a safety case to ESV and to comply with an accepted safety case. The Gas Safety Act 1997External Link also allows submission of safety cases for complex gas installations on a voluntary basis and permits complex gas installation operators and Type B gas appliance manufacturers to seek exemption from prescriptive compliance requirements.

The primary objective of the Regulations is to prescribe content requirements for safety cases and safety management systems, standards of gas quality and requirements for testing of gas conveyed through pipelines, and requirements for reporting of gas incidents to ESV.

Safety case policy and guidelines

In addition to the regulations, ESV has published three key documents which support the application of the safety management regime.

Date: 19/03/2024 7:47

Controlled document

The currency and accuracy of this document cannot be guaranteed once printed or saved to a storage device. If in doubt, please check the ESV website for the current version.

Reviewed 29 January 2023

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