Solomon Associates has embarked on its 2011 Natural Gas Transmission System Performance Analysis (NGTS Study) to help pipeline operators stay competitive in today’s challenging market conditions and heightened regulatory environment.

“Just last week, it was reported that the U.S. Congress is considering expanding regulation over oil and natural gas pipelines, “ said Hank Brolick, P.E., vice president of pipelines for Solomon Associates. “It’s a constant balancing act for operators to ensure the highest levels of pipeline integrity while managing their costs. Solomon Associates’ NGTS Study helps uncover solutions for operations to thrive under the increasing pressure to improve performance.”

The study, based on data from more than 30 transmission systems comprising 150,000 miles of pipe, 3,000 compressors units and 11,000 meter-regulator stations, analyzes all aspects of participants' operations, including company and contractor costs, work hours and reliability. It then identifies opportunities for improving work practices and business processes.

“We understand that every gas pipeline is unique, with different geographic and operating characteristics,” said Brolick. “That’s why each transmission system is analyzed from an in-depth perspective, using normalized data, to provide a true view of its competitive position relative to its peers.”

Solomon uses the industry’s most accurate methodology for normalizing operational performance data, the Equivalent Pipeline Complexity (EPC™) metric. EPC encompasses factors that account for more than 90 percent of the controllable fixed-costs variability among operators, providing a comprehensive basis for reducing non-volume expenditures and driving margins.

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