ABB awards leak detection and security contract to OptaSense and Optilan for Tanap project in Turkey

ABB has awarded the $30m combined leak detection and security contract to OptaSense, a QinetiQ company, and its partner Optilan for the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (Tanap) natural gas pipeline project in Turkey.

ABB is serving as the engineering, procurement and construction prime contractor for the delivery of the control infrastructure for TANAP.

Leak and intrusion detection are important to maintain pipeline integrity and production maximisation in the oil and gas industry.

The fibre-distributed sensing project will protect and monitor more than 1,850km of pipeline, including perimeter security for all facilities.

Tanap involves costs ranging from $10bn to $11bn, runs from Azerbaijan through Georgia and Turkey to Europe and will enable the first Azerbaijani gas exports to Europe.

Construction of the pipeline commenced last year with completion set to take place in 2018.

OptaSense executive director Magnus McEwen-King said: "This project marks a significant turning point in the adoption of fibre sensing globally with delivery of security and leak detection from a single fibre system.

"With our partners ABB and Optilan we look forward to helping Tanap use the OptaSense technology to deliver the highest levels of pipeline availability and reduce the cost of asset ownership."

Optilan executive director Bal Kler said: "Implementation of this project for Tanap will deliver total security and monitoring over the entire pipeline length and follows on from other successful security projects in Turkey."

Tanap will be a central part of the Southern Gas Corridor, which will connect the Shah Deniz gas field in Azerbaijan to Europe through the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP), Tanap and the Trans Adriatic Pipeline.

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Image: The fibre distributed sensing project will protect and monitor more than 1,850km of pipeline. Photo: courtesy of QinetiQ.