Energy network operator AusNet has spent $40 million over the past 12 months as part of ongoing gas network upgrades and maintenance across Victoria.
AusNet executive general manager gas and metering Fran Duiker said these projects will enable AusNet to continue to distribute gas in a reliable and safe manner into the future.
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“AusNet is focused on providing a safe and reliable gas network for our customers and preparing the network for peak periods during winter. One of the ways we do this is by replacing older gas mains,” she said.
Upgrading low-pressure mains to high pressure ones helps to manage the safety risk of gas leaks associated with older low-pressure networks. Many of AusNet’s low-pressure mains are now over 50 years old.
“Leaks and blockages, although rare, can also cause outages. The availability of high-pressure gas means greater supply reliability and reduces the chance of interruptions,” Duiker said.
Over the past 12 months, AusNet has renewed existing low-pressure gas mains across Geelong, Stawell, Warrnambool and Ararat, replacing existing cast iron, PVC and galvanised low-pressure mains with high-pressure modern polyethylene pipes (polypipes).
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“We have prioritised regions in our network where there are likely to be more cold snaps and consecutive cold days, and areas where there is a higher chance of outages, because they are on the fringe of our networks,” Duiker said.
AusNet’s gas distribution network covers 60,000 square kilometres across the western parts of Victoria, consisting of 12,400km of distribution mains and 185km of transmission pipelines, which distribute gas to over 824,000 consumers in central and western Victoria.
