Brookfield Multiplex was brought on board to govern the engineering, construction and commissioning of the second Dampier to Bunbury pipeline, built to increase the natural gas capacity to Perth and major towns for industrial and domestic consumption.
The steel pipeline is 572 kilometres in length, has a diameter of 660 millimetres, and was delivered in 18 metre lengths. The pipe was installed parallel to, and seven metres offset, from the existing Dampier to Bunbury pipeline.
Brookfield Multiplex approached the project by separating it into 10 loops, each approximately 57 kilometres in length spanning a total distance of 1,600 kilometres.
The project team took delivery of 32,000 lengths of pipe from vessels from three different ports – Jervoise Bay, Geraldton and Dampier. The pipes were then trucked to site, welded, wrapped and tested before being lowered into the excavated trench for backfilling. The main line valve and end of loop configurations were pre-fabricated, tested, installed and progressively commissioned.
The project team were also faced with a number of logistical challenges, including the establishment and operation a 250-person temporary camp that needed to be relocated more than 20 times. Other challenges included the sourcing of adequate potable water supplies and the transportation of personnel, pipes and equipment along the route of the pipeline.
The labour intensive project had a workforce in excess of 1,000 people. There was a significant dependence on Brookfield Multiplex’s ability to source suitably skilled and qualified labour.
Despite the tight construction program, which required a peak production rate of five kilometres per day, the project was delivered on time and within the 10 month construction duration.
