Pipeline
Planning for new capacity must begin far in advance of transporting the
first barrel of oil, refined petroleum product, or first cubic foot of
natural gas. Pipeline companies must determine possible routes for the
new pipelines; acquire the right-of-way (ROW) to build, operate and
maintain the pipelines; engineer the actual system designs; and
construct the pipelines. Each of these steps are subject to rigorous
regulatory reviews and approvals. Construction can only begin after the
route selection receives regulatory approval, the ROW is obtained, and
the system design is completed.
Regardless of the length of the pipeline, the construction process must
be carefully planned to ensure the safety and integrity of the new
pipeline and then executed to meet construction schedules and weather
conditions. In some ways, installing a pipeline is much like an
assembly-line process, with sections of the pipeline being completed in
a sequence of repetitive steps.
