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).
Energy Safe 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 Standards.
Gas and pipeline industry
The gas infrastructure and pipelines sector comprises:
- Licensed pipelines, which includes:
- natural gas transmission pipelines
- petroleum, oxygen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, nitrogen, compressed air, sulphuric acid and methanol pipelines
- the market operator – the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO).
- 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
- Illegal repairs to damaged live gas infrastructure:
- Building Near Pipelines
- Building Near Pipelines: Restrictions and Responsibilities:
- Application for Ministerial Consent:
- Transmission Pipeline Encroachment Enforcement Strategy:
- Gas Asset Damage Enforcement Strategy:
- Cathodic Protection
- Cathodic Protection Report by Exception Guidelines:
- Cathodic Protection Report Templates:
- Classification of Audit Findings:
Key performance indicators
Natural Gas Transmission
- KPI Information specification:
- KPI Reporting template:
Non-Natural Gas Transmission
Specifications for Victorian Licensed Pipelines Industry Group – reporting requirements
These reporting requirements came into effect on 1 July 2018.
- KPI Information specification:
- KPI Reporting template:
Annual reporting
- Completing the Annual Safety and Integrity Compliance Report:
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 1997 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 Energy Safe and to comply with an accepted safety case. The Gas Safety Act 1997 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 Energy Safe.
Safety case policy and guidelines
In addition to the regulations, Energy Safe has published three key documents which support the application of the safety management regime.
- Energy Infrastructure Safety Management Policy: explains how Energy Safe intends to interpret and apply the safety management regime, and clarify what is intended to be achieved through compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements.
- Gas Safety Case Preparation and Submission for Facilities and Pipelines Guidelines: intended to help you better understand how to develop and comply with an accepted safety case.
- Safety Management Plan Preparation and Submission for Pipelines: to help you understand how to develop and comply with an accepted safety management plan.
Date: 05/10/2024 15:09
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.
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