“Innovation is embedded across our operations, from governance to how we manage and maintain the network,” says head of Network Services John Memery. “But innovation is driven not just by technology, it’s about leadership, processes and people on the ground.”
Memery joined the organisation as an apprentice in 1982, shortly before the pipeline to bring natural gas from Cork to Dublin had been completed. Today, he leads a department of over 100 people across three core teams: service delivery (siteworks), operations support and emergency response.
During his 43 years with the organisation, he has witnessed first-hand how Gas Networks Ireland has embraced innovation, from replacing cast iron pipes with polyethylene to the repurposing of the network for the future onboarding of green hydrogen. He has also seen some very significant changes in the way customers use gas.
“One of biggest things we did was the replacement of cast iron to polyethylene pipes,” he says. “That was hugely significant. We had a lot of problems with cast iron pipes. For example, if there was ground movement during cold weather, there was no flexibility in the pipes, so they could break causing gas leaks. We had been doing some piecemeal work replacing the cast iron pipes with polyethylene, but that was just a few kilometres a year. In 2005, we adopted a new strategy to renew the entire network, and we gave ourselves five years to do it. We completed it on time and by 2010 we had all the cast iron pipes in Cork, Limerick, Waterford and Dublin replaced.
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“All of those callouts as a result of cast iron pipes ended,” he continues. “We weren’t digging up paths and roads repairing leaks any more and we now have one of the safest and most resilient gas networks in the whole of Europe. It also stands to our good for the integration of hydrogen on the network.”
Gas Networks Ireland operates a structured, disciplined approach to innovation which is overseen by a cross-business Innovation Steering Group which includes external experts and dedicated teams focused on applying smart technologies to real-world challenges.
Supported by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), the organisation has established an innovation fund of €5.3 million comprising a strategic innovation fund (SIF) of €1.5 million with the remaining €3.8 million devoted to a network-based innovation fund (NBIF) aimed at furthering best practice in running gas networks.
“Through the SIF, Gas Networks Ireland is contributing €1.2 million to co-fund the €2.7 million Innovation Challenge in collaboration with Research Ireland, who are contributing the remaining €1.5 million,” says Memery. “Research teams are being invited to develop breakthrough technologies in areas like renewable gas, energy system integration and artificial intelligence (AI) that will support Ireland’s transition to a low-carbon energy future.”
The challenge has two overarching themes. The Energy System Integration Challenge seeks to support the development of solutions to accelerate the optimisation and integration of the energy system in Ireland’s transition to a low carbon economy. The Biomethane and Biohydrogen Challenge aims to support the development of solutions which improve the efficiency, efficacy and commercial viability of biomethane and biohydrogen production, including extraction and utilisation of byproducts.
Successful teams from eligible research bodies in Ireland will be awarded up to €200,000 and will work through a series of phases to develop their idea. An overall prize award of €1 million will be available to the team that demonstrates the highest potential for transformative impact.
“Overall, 30 projects have received funding from the NBIF,” says Memery. “Eight projects have been completed and 22 are ongoing.”
One of those 22 projects deals with high volume gas escapes (HVGE), he explains. When a pipeline is damaged, more often than not by third-party activity, it can result in a high-volume gas escape (HVGE), leading to an uncontrolled release of gas. The project is developing potential new tools to increase the efficiency with which these can be fixed and reducing the associated risks.
The current method of sealing off a leak involves ground excavations and the application of special equipment to squeeze the pipe until the flow of gas stops. A new tool under investigation will involve placing a device into the damaged pipe which will expand due to the pressure of the gas and create a seal internally which will allow excavations to take place for a permanent repair.
“That would bring huge reputational, financial, environmental and safety benefits,” Memery adds.
Another project is looking at alternatives to chromatography to analyse the composition and quality of the gas on the network. This is important because of the introduction of biomethane at present and hydrogen in the near future. The introduction of biomethane will also alter the calorific value of the gas being delivered to customers. Another project is seeking to develop sensors which can be placed in pipes to measure the different types and mixes of gas present at any given time.
“It is really important to know the calorific value for billing,” Memery notes.
Satellite based monitoring of the gas transmission network is also being investigated. At present, monitoring the ground conditions above the network is done either by driving along the route in urban areas like Dublin or by flying over it using helicopters – both quite costly. The use of low earth orbit satellite imagery would both reduce costs and improve monitoring frequency, Memery notes.
Communication with deaf and hard of hearing customers is also under investigation. “This project explores how technology can be used to enable immediate contact with hard of hearing customers through text messages and so on if there is a potential gas escape,” he says. “Innovation isn’t just about big future ideas. It’s about finding better ways to serve customers today and staying ready for tomorrow.”
While constant innovation and transformation are hallmarks of Gas Networks Ireland, the organisation is not afraid to look to its past as it seeks to progress into the future. That includes the reintroduction of its apprenticeship programme some 10 years ago.
“We hadn’t had an apprenticeship programme since 1982/3 when I joined,” says Memery. “It’s great to have them again. They have brought new energy to the business and almost all of them have stayed with us. We ensure that they get broad experience of the business, and we put them on emergency call outs once they qualify one week a month. That means they are on call 24 hours a day and have to be on site within an hour of receiving the call from the customer. That’s blue light standard and we achieved 99.7 per cent performance against that last year with an average response time of 28 minutes for the 14,000 publicly reported gas escapes. Our highest priority is safety, and we are very proud of our performance in that regard.”
Changes witnessed by Memery and his colleagues over the years have been immortalised on Dublin’s Sir John Rogerson’s Quay with the Gasworks sculpture by artist John Kindness. That heritage is very important to Memery who emphasises the critical role played by people in the continuing evolution and transformation of Ireland’s gas network. “Technology is essential but in the end it’s people who respond, repair and reassure. We’ve modernised everything from our systems to our processes, but what matters most hasn’t changed, showing up when people need us and doing the job right.”
