Transmission and Storage

Peter Ashman | David Battye | Nicolas Coniglio | Rob Dickinson
Nesimi Ertugrul | Philip Kwong | Stepen Lincoln | Gus Nathan
Richard Kelso | Greg Metha | Erwin Gamboa | Chris Sumby

There are 30,000km of high pressure natural gas transmission pipelines in Australia with a replacement cost of about $40 billion supplying about 22% of Australia’s energy needs. This pipeline network will not be able to support Australia’s economic prosperity in a carbon and finance constrained future, unless new technologies are created to extend the life of the existing ageing network and build new pipelines with technologies that are appropriate to Australia. New pipelines for natural gas and other energy gases will be required in the transition to a cleaner, renewable future.

Storage is one of the key challenges in increasing the use of renewable intermittent energy sources, such as wind and solar, and making them capable of baseload power generation. This can be achieved through a range of chemical, mechanical or electrical approaches.

The CET undertakes research in four programs associated with the Energy Pipelines Co-operative Research Centre covering more productive materials, life extension and asset management, design, and public safety and security of supply. The CET also conducts research into energy storage methods and integrates them with energy sources and the energy transmission network.