Research and Standards Committee

Members of APGA’s Research and Standards Committee (RSC) pay an additional annual fee to participate in the work of the committee. The committee advises on research projects that are undertaken by the Future Fuels Cooperative Research Centre (and, previously, the Energy Pipelines CRC) to ensure they are relevant to the needs of the pipeline industry. RSC members have immediate access to locally relevant research results that can make pipelines safer and more efficient, and give member companies a competitive advantage.

The research focuses on social acceptance, public safety, security of supply, network lifecycle management and the opportunities for the use of future fuels. In addition to direct funding, RSC member companies also contribute valuable in-kind support that, in recent years, has brought the total value of its research program to more than $2 million per year.

Critically, the RSC works closely with the pipeline committees of Standards Australia to ensure research results can be quickly applied to the industry’s national standard, AS 2885, for the benefit of the industry and wider community.

Member organisations of the RSC automatically become members of the Future Fuels Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) and can participate in and access all its research. Future Fuels CRC reflects the vision of Australia’s gas and pipelines sector, focusing on the pivotal role that new fuels and the existing gas infrastructure will have to play in a low carbon economy. Future Fuels CRC is the industry focussed Research, Development & Demonstration (RD&D) partnership enabling the decarbonisation of Australia’s energy networks. It works with partners in a collaborative and connected research community embracing industry, academia and government to:

• Focus on the future of a crucial sector of the Australian energy economy.
• Deliver the full potential of low-carbon fuels in the energy supply mix.
• Find safe and reliable solutions to repurpose existing infrastructure and develop new infrastructure to transport future fuels.
• Inform coordinated national policy and regulation associated with low carbon fuels.
• Protect and extend the reliability and safe operative life of energy infrastructure.
• Enable the structures, protocols and linkages to maximise the value of global low carbon fuel developments for Australia.