Cheniere Energy Strengthens Pipeline Integrity Management With Eagleview

High-resolution aerial imagery and CONNECTExplorer™ streamline data validation, reduce ground verification, and improve operational efficiency.

Background

Cheniere Energy, Inc. is a dynamic, integrated energy company based in Houston, Texas. They operate the world’s largest receiving terminal for liquid natural gas at the mouth of the Sabine River in Louisiana and the 94-mile-long Creole Trail pipeline. During the construction project, the company developed a comprehensive, state-of-the-art digital GIS database covering the entire corridor. In addition, orthogonal—or top-down—aerial imagery was used to validate field data. Cheniere Energy was determined to set a benchmark for the pipeline’s integrity management program.

Challenge

Maintaining comprehensive, accurate datasets to manage pipeline integrity is a constant challenge. Cheniere needed a better way to:

  • Validate field data
  • Identify structures and potential encroachments
  • Reduce unnecessary ground verification
  • Support High Consequence Area (HCA) monitoring and class location updates

Orthogonal imagery provided a partial view of what was happening on the ground, but it often lacked the detail Cheniere needed to identify structures or make high-confidence decisions without sending field crews into remote areas.

Solution

Shortly after the pipeline went into operation, Chris Williams, the Director of Pipeline Technical Services at Cheniere learned about Eagleview's innovative approach to aerial imaging: capturing high-resolution aerial images at an oblique angle to reveal important dimensional information and details that are lost in traditional orthogonal imagery. The Eagleview images would allow Cheniere’s integrity management team to:

  • See every square foot of the pipeline’s Potential Impact Radius from overhead and oblique angles
  • Identify hard-to-see structures
  • Capture precise measurements
  • Quickly determine latitude, longitude, directional bearing, and relative positioning

The team would also be able to use POL to add annotations, access information, and overlay aerial images with maps, parcel boundaries, elevation contours, and other digital information.

Eagleview was secured to capture high-resolution aerial imagery of the right-of-way for a 13.7 mile expansion of the Creole Trail Pipeline in Cameron, LA. This allowed Cheniere Energy’s team to use the images for production of pipeline alignment drawings. Eagleview also flew approximately 40 miles of existing pipeline right-of-way. These updated images were beneficial in monitoring changes to the landscape or possible encroachment issues.

Cheniere Enegy

“ Eagleview Online has increased our confidence in the accuracy of our data and helped us improve operational efficiency and integrity management. When you consider all of the benefits, it’s clear that we’re getting a lot of value from the solution. ”

Cheniere Enegy

Chris Williams, Director of Pipeline Technical Services, Cheniere Energy

Impact

Reduced Ground Verification

Eagleview’s oblique imagery enabled the team to dramatically cut down on field visits. “If you can make the call from looking at an oblique aerial image, you don’t need to send out a field crew,” Williams said.

Improved Risk Evaluation

By visualizing the pipeline’s Potential Impact Radius from overhead and oblique angles, the team can better evaluate risks and plan preventive and mitigative actions to protect the pipeline.

Increased Operational Efficiency

CONNECTExplorer™ provides an integrated toolset for measurement, annotation, and data overlays—giving Cheniere faster access to accurate, actionable information.

Cheniere Enegy

“ Eagleview helps us evaluate risks and consequences along our pipeline so we can perform preventive and mitigative actions, which helps us optimize the way we use our resources to protect the pipeline. That’s a pretty solid business case for a very reasonable investment. ”

Cheniere Enegy

Chris Williams, Director of Pipeline Technical Services, Cheniere Energy

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