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BPA’S KNOW WHAT’S BELOW CAMPAIGN KICKS OFF FOR 2022

Delivering BPA landowner letters

BPA has launched its ‘Know What’s Below’ campaign again this year to ensure good communications with the landowners along its 1000km of buried oil pipelines.

The aim is to ensure all details are up to date so that BPA can keep landowners informed of any works being undertaken to the buried oil pipelines and to ensure landowners can in turn contact the company should they need to inform them of any works being undertaken in the vicinity of the pipeline or to report any suspicious activities or incidents.

BPA’s Landowner Services team has issued letters to nearly 2000 landowner and tenants along BPA’s 1000km of buried high-pressure pipelines in the UK.

The letters ask all landowners or tenants to respond using the enclosed form and self-addressed envelope so that BPA can ensure that their records are up to date and that they have the correct details should we need to contact landowners in the event of an emergency or planned works.

The letter also provides information on who landowners need to contact, and what to do, if they are required to operate in the vicinity of one of the high-pressure fuel pipelines.

Respond by end of May

Those who respond to the request and return their completed forms in the self-addressed envelope by the end of May will automatically be entered into a prize draw to receive one of five luxurious hampers.

Please keep a look out for BPA’s ‘Know What’s Below’ campaign letters and ensure that you promptly return them to a member of the BPA Landowner Services team.  Contact the team for further information.

/by BPA Management
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AND THE WINNERS ARE…

BPA landowner hamper winners announced

Each year BPA’s Lands Team write to landowners across the country asking them to respond to confirm whether they still own or have responsibility for the land under which our buried, high pressure oil pipelines run.

To encourage prompt responses we incentivise the returns by entering all responders into a prize draw, with the chance to win a hamper from Virginia Hayward worth more than £100.

We’re delighted to share with you the winners of this year’s hampers!  This year the lucky winners included:

  • Mr Trigg from Stanford-le-Hope
  • Mr Hall from Chorleywood
  • Ms Cawson from Tarporley
  • Mr Pickering from Tamworth
  • Mr & Mrs Cliff from Grantham

The responses are important as it helps BPA keep stay in touch with landowners along the  1000km of buried pipelines.  Having up to date records also gives landowners an opportunity to inform BPA of any land changes, while also reminding them to contact BPA should they need to undertake any work in the vicinity of the buried high pressure pipeline.

The pipelines bisect the UK and, although designed to meet the internal pressures, are susceptible to potential damage from people inadvertently working in close proximity to them.  Keeping landowners informed and aware of the pipeline also help BPA to keep them safe from leaks caused by any unintentional damage to the pipeline.

BPA is proud to achieve market leading response rates from its landowners with nearly 80% of those landowners targeted sending their completed forms back to BPA.  If there are any questions regarding keeping your details up to date or if you would like to speak to a member of BPA’s team, contact us on 0800 585 387 or email us at lands@bpa.co.uk.

Thanks again to everyone who responded and congratulations to this year’s hamper winners.

 

 

/by BPA Management
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CLEARING THE WAY FOR A CIPS SURVEY

CIPS Survey clearance

BPA’s lands team is undertaking a programme of scrub clearance works at more than 60 sites along the route of the buried high-pressure oil pipelines that BPA manages in the UK.

The scrub clearance is in preparation for a new CIPs survey which is scheduled to start in October and run until the end of November 2020.   The work will take place on the LAP pipeline that feeds Heathrow Airport, the buried pipeline that runs between the Thames Pump Station and the Epping Pump Station and also the buried high-pressure oil pipeline that runs between the Blisworth Pump Station and the Oil Storage Terminal at Kingsbury.

A CIPS survey is sometimes referred to as Close Interval Survey, which is an above ground, non-intrusive survey, used to accurately determine the effectiveness of the cathodic protection system along the pipelines.  The survey helps ensure that the integrity of the pipeline remains protected from corrosion.

The pipe-to-soil readings are measured at test points typically installed at 1 to 2 kilometre intervals along the pipeline route, however these measurements do not accurately reflect the pipe-to-soil potentials between test points.

To overcome this, a close interval potential survey (CIPS) is undertaken, with pipe-to-soil potentials measured at nominal 2 metre intervals. The CIPS technique can be employed for both buried (onshore) and immersed (offshore) pipelines.

To allow BPA’s Lands team access to points on the ground above the buried pipelines a programme of scrub clearance is being undertaken at points where readings will be taken.  BPA will write to all affected landowners and tenants ahead of the survey. If you have any special access arrangements or any that may have changed please let us know.

The team at BPA will be wearing high-vis clothing and following all the correct procedures required for working near to buried pipelines.

Keep a watch out for the team and don’t forget to contact the BPA Lands Team if you see anything suspicious or any unusual activity along the buried pipeline network.  If in doubt, simply call us on 0800 585 387 and we will do the rest.

 

/by BPA Management

BE AWARE OF BURIED PIPELINES – BEFORE YOU CLEAR YOUR DITCHES

Buried pipelines - know what's below

BPA’s Landowner Services team is asking landowners to be aware of buried pipelines before clearing ditches.  The company has launched its Know What’s Below campaign by writing to nearly 2000 landowners and tenants along BPA’s 1000km buried pipeline network in the UK in advance of the regular ‘ditch clearing’ season.

This time of year is particularly important, as farmers typically clear ditches in early Spring.  Keeping watercourses well maintained benefits the community as a whole, particularly if an area experiences flooding.  Poorly maintained watercourses can be a nuisance to the community, can restrict access to property and can result in considerable expense and inconvenience for those that have been flooded. The weather over the winter of 2019/20 has highlighted the issues of how important watercourse maintenance can be to keep our drainage systems working properly.

Cleaning ditches with an excavator or other mechanical equipment can however pose a threat to the buried high-pressure pipelines if not undertaken correctly.  BPA is asking farmers or other landowners who are needing to operate in the vicinity of the buried high-pressure pipelines to contact them in advance of starting any works.

The aim of the ‘Know What’s Below’ campaign is to target landowners and tenants and inform them of the processes to follow if they are planning to work near to the buried network of high-pressure oil pipelines.

As well as asking for up to date details of the landowner, the letter provides information on who landowners need to contact, and what to do, if they are required to operate in the vicinity of one of the high-pressure fuel pipelines.  The letter also advises that BPA’s Landowner Services team are on hand to provide advice and even attend the site to mark out the pipeline’s route.

Please contact BPA’s Landowner Services team if you are planning on clearing ditches or undertaking any  keep a look out for the letter and be sure to promptly return it to the BPA team.

/by BPA Management
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RECORD RESPONSE FROM PIPELINE LANDOWNERS

BPA's Know What's Below

BPA’s Know What’s Below campaign has received an overwhelming response from the letters it recently issued to nearly 2000 landowner and tenants along its 1000km pipeline network in the UK.

Recipients have responded in record numbers using the enclosed form and self-addressed envelopes, however the BPA Lands Department is keen for those still yet to respond to do so as soon as possible.

By responding, BPA is able to ensure all records are up to date and that they have the correct details should need to be contacted in the event of an emergency.  The letter also provides information on who landowners need to contact, and what to do, if they are required to operate in the vicinity of one of the high-pressure fuel pipelines.  By confirming the landowner details BPA, is able to contact the appropriate person in the need of an emergency.  The Know What’s Below communications campaign also aims to ensure that landowners and tenants along BPA’s pipeline network have the correct details should the need to get hold of a member of the BPA team in the case of a pipeline emergency.

Push for responses

With one final push for responses, BPA is set to select five lucky winners to each receive a luxurious hamper as part of an annual prize draw.  The prize draw for the delicious £100 hamper is made at Christmas, with the winners notified directly by a member of the BPA Lands team.  The BPA team regularly undertakes line walking exercises to survey the land and often makes contact with landowners along the BPA Pipeline network.  This helps ensure that the team is on hand, approachable and available to add expertise and advice to landowners.

If you’ve still not submitted your response, please do so as soon as possible or call a member of BPA’s Lands Department on 0800 585 387 if you are unsure or have lost your documents.  Click here to email the team.

/by BPA Management

SUCCESSFUL REPAIR OF BPA PIPELINE INFRASTRUCTURE IN BEESTON

BPA Pipeline repairs

The BPA team has successfully excavated more than 13m of pipeline in Beeston, Cheshire, to undertake repair works to the pipeline’s infrastructure.  The works were completed following close liaison and support from the landowner, allowing for minimal disruption and for normal farming activities to resume promptly.

Read more

/by Know What's Below BPA
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CHRISTMAS CHEER FOR HAMPER WINNERS

Buried High Pressure Oil Pipelines

We’re delighted to announce that the winners of this year’s Know What’s Below hampers are Mr Bell from Cobham, Surrey, and Mrs Deborah Todd from Latimer, near Chesham.  The two winners were selected at random from the hundreds of landowners and tenants who confirmed their contact details and map outlining their ownership of the land that contain’s BPA’s buried high pressure oil pipelines.

Each year BPA writes to the landowners along its pipeline network to remind them of the high-pressure oil pipeline that runs under their land, what to do if they need to undertake groundworks in the vicinity of the pipeline and to check that they are still responsible for the land.  Everyone who returns the map, confirming their details is entered into the prize drawn

The hamper, worth more than £100, is packed with goodies, including wine, chocolates and plenty of other Christmas goodies.  Both recipients were presented with their hampers by members of BPA’s lands team.

Phil Taylor, BPA’s Lands Manager, comments: “Each year we write to landowners to remind them of the high-pressure oil pipeline pipelines that run under their land and to confirm that we have their correct contact details.  Those who respond are automatically entered into the draw and it’s great to be able to give these two lucky landowners a treat just before Christmas.”

High Pressure Oil Pipelines

Letters are sent to more than 2000 recipients along the BPA pipeline network as part of the company’s “Know What’s Below” campaign.  The campaign has helped reduce the number of incidents, accidents and spills along the pipeline network.  In case of emergency relating to the high pressure oil pipelines, contact BPA’s Lands Team here.

/by Know What's Below BPA

KNOW WHAT’S BELOW – NEW WEBSITE LAUNCHED

Know What's Below

BPA, the company behind the Know What’s Below campaign and operator of more than 1000km of buried high pressure fuel pipelines, has launched a new website to provide landowners with the information and contacts needed if they are to operate in the vicinity of the company’s pipeline network.

Read more

/by Know What's Below BPA