Port Pirie pipeline assessment begins

Further to Epic Energy’s December 2024 update, the routine assessment of the Port Pirie Lateral Pipeline, which supplies gas to the Whyalla and Port Pirie region, began on Wednesday, 22 January 2025.

While the pipeline will be shutdown for the assessment, customers in Port Pirie and Whyalla will continue to receive gas through the existing distribution network via an alternative source, and will not notice any change to their gas supply.

Epic Energy will manage the assessment from a site in Bungama, which is located 6km from the Port Pirie township.

As part of the assessment, gas remaining in the pipeline will be released and ignited in a controlled manner via a process called flaring. Flaring is commonly used in the energy industry because it is the environmentally preferred option, resulting in 90 per cent fewer carbon emissions than direct venting to atmosphere.

During flaring, a flame between 8 and 12 metres high may be visible from a temporary stack to be built at Bungama.

Epic Energy has worked closely with the SA Country Fire Service to ensure the necessary safety controls and permits are in place when flaring occurs on Wednesday 22 January, and again for several days in late January/early February.

The assessment is integral to inform the pipeline’s ongoing maintenance as part of Epic Energy’s commitment to deliver natural gas to the region now and into the future.

The works will take a maximum of 18 days to complete, with the pipeline due to resume operations in early February 2025.