EPIC Midstream Holdings has announced ESG standards to provide safe and reliable pipeline transfer for crude oil and natural gas liquids customers using through fiber optic technology.

The fiber optics, which were installed during original build, run the length of each of its pipelines, the company said in a press release on March 2.

The technology provides EPIC with real time information, greatly increasing capabilities for damage prevention, subsurface leak detection of Scope 1 gas emissions, ground movement detection and structural monitoring, and enhanced pipeline integrity.

EPIC’s fiber optic-based supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and communications combined with distributed acoustic systems (DAS) intrusion and leak detection technology will enhance pipeline safety and efficient operations throughout the life of EPIC’s pipeline systems.

Fiber optics technology enables quick delivery of data for operational decision-making and helps prevent or dramatically reduce the effects of a pipeline incident by transmitting key information in real time. Data is monitored around the clock by a team of Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) qualified technicians working in the EPIC Pipeline Control Center located in San Antonio, Texas. EPIC’s advanced pipeline technology also enhances monitoring ability through advanced processing and algorithms, reliable alarms, and smart zones.

Jason Blevins, COO at EPIC, sees the technology as a great advantage. “Our fiber optics technology makes us an industry leader in damage prevention, one of the most critical aspects of pipeline safety," he said in a statement.

"Our fiber allows us to know, by the second, when there is activity on or near our pipeline right of ways. That helps us protect the environment and communities where we operate at much higher level than industry standard."

The responsibility for continued improvement of the safety and reliability of pipelines is of growing importance to oil and gas stakeholders. The fiber optic technology EPIC deployed is quickly proving itself to be the best way to ensure pipeline integrity and leak detection/spill prevention.