A Comprehensive Guide to Pipeline Right-of-Way

How to Get A Pipeline ROW?

Getting a Pipeline Right of Way (ROW) involves a systematic approach that respects landowners' rights and addresses legal and practical considerations. Here is a detailed guide:

Route Selection and Planning

When you're in the business of transporting oil and gas through pipelines, choosing the right route is a critical first step that can make or break your project. It's not just about figuring out how much pipe you need; it's also about navigating legal and environmental considerations.

The goal is to move oil and gas safely, economically, and with minimal impact on the environment and landowners. This means taking into account factors like pipeline size, terrain, soils, and engineering requirements. 

Pipeline Planning

Don't assume that the shortest route is the best route. Physical obstacles and environmental constraints often force you to take detours. To avoid costly oversights, your surveys need to equip engineers with detailed data on typography, geography, boundaries, and the environment.

This data helps in making decisions about corridor selection, route survey, and identifying foreign pipelines. 

Selecting a Route During an Oil and Gas Pipeline Construction Project

Choosing the final route involves a deep dive into survey information. Highlight and map the constraints within the route corridor, setting the stage for negotiations, addressing construction limitations, predicting potential impacts, and planning construction methods and traffic management. Your survey should cover:

• A thorough examination of the route and the pipeline's construction environment.
• Surveying access roads, construction camps, staging, facilities, cathodic protection, and mainline valve sites.
• Conducting corridor design and above-ground facilities location surveys in the field.
• Collaborating with authorities and third parties to gather information about unknown developments, encroachments, underground obstructions, and other pipelines, services, and structures along the route.
• Engaging with landowners and land agents along the proposed route.
• Land and environmental corridor surveys should be wide enough to catch any features that could mess with pipeline installation and operation.
• Documenting the selected route on appropriately scaled alignment sheets, including significant point coordinates and contour lines.
• Identifying and dealing with geo-hazards through terrain evaluation and risk analysis to ensure the most suitable pipeline route.
• Early-stage terrain evaluations and assessments are a must. They cut down on design and construction time and costs, prevent the need for expensive fixes, make sure the site is restored, and keep the pipeline operational.

Traditionally, surveying for pipeline construction has been a slow, labor-intensive, and often dangerous process. But the rise of drone technology has brought a revolutionary change.

The JOUAV'S CW-15 VTOL Drones with JoLiDAR-120, combining 26MP cameras and 1430 LiDAR sensors. This provides detailed topographic maps for pipeline routes, identifying obstacles, slopes, and sensitive areas. The 3D models derived from drone data offer a visual understanding of terrain and obstacles, aiding in planning access roads, staging areas, and pipeline crossings with precision. This streamlined approach ensures efficient construction processes while minimizing environmental impact.

Guohong New Energy Company employed the CW-15, equipped with JoLiDAR-120, to gather precise 1:2000 point cloud data for an oil and gas pipeline construction project in Fengxin County. Despite the substantial height differences exceeding 1200 meters in the survey area, the elevation error was impressively minimal, measuring only 10.4 cm.

Negotiation and Acquisition

A skilled right-of-way agent plays a pivotal role in the success of any project, relying on the ability to establish connections, listen effectively, and employ strategic negotiation techniques. The initial meetings set the tone for future relationships, emphasizing the importance of impressions.

Educational qualifications are crucial, and modern agents adhere to higher standards due to educational advancements, ethical guidelines, and associations like the International Right of Way Association. The emphasis is on creating partnerships that endure, backed by both words and deeds, resulting in win-win outcomes. 

• Initial Planning: Collaboration with engineers, construction managers, and surveyors allowed for planning the pipeline route. While the ideal route would be a straight line, practical considerations such as existing structures, trees, and landowners had to be factored in.
• Identifying Landowners: Researching ownership through county appraisal districts helped compile a preliminary line list. This step involved gathering names, addresses, and phone numbers of affected landowners.
• First Meeting: Gaining survey permission was crucial, as it served as the introduction to landowners. Keeping project details minimal, the agent sought permission for surveyors to access properties.
• Confirming Ownership: Verification of ownership through deed records at the County Clerk's office was a vital task, ensuring clarity and avoiding complications during the acquisition phase.
• Negotiation: Engaging with landowners involved open communication and a focus on minimizing impact. Negotiations, though predominantly smooth, centered around financial considerations, with efforts made to keep acquisitions reasonable.
• Post-Acquisition Steps: After acquiring the right of way, the agent emphasized due diligence in ensuring contractual agreements were followed through. Regular visits to construction sites and ongoing communication with landowners maintained transparency and progress updates.

Ongoing Relationships

Beyond the acquisition phase, the importance of maintaining positive relationships with landowners becomes evident. As the construction phase concludes and throughput begins, ongoing maintenance and repairs necessitate continued contact with landowners. Building solid relationships from the outset contributes to time and cost savings over the pipeline's anticipated fifty-year lifespan.

Permits and Approvals

In many countries, government approval is required before starting pipeline construction. A construction authorization from the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources or planning permission from the relevant authority is necessary, depending on the pipeline's length.

Long pipelines often intersect roads, railways, and waterways. The pipeline promoter must secure consent from various authorities, including local bodies, utility boards, and transportation agencies. Providing adequate information to all affected parties is the promoter's responsibility.

Special attention is needed for water authorities to prevent water pollution risks. Vulnerable water areas, lacking impermeable layers over aquifers, require careful consideration. Consultation with local Planning Authorities, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, and the Country Fire Authority is crucial for addressing land use, livestock protection, and firefighting access concerns.