Safety and Security 3: Distribution Stage

To ensure stable city gas supply, Osaka Gas has renovated the processing facilities and has built gas pipeline networks in accordance with meticulously devised plans. In so doing, we have strengthened our foundation to secure a higher level of gas supply.

We work to improve aging gas pipes and implement flood damage measures for pressure regulators (governors) in order to improve resilience in the event of large-scale disasters. We have an emergency repair dispatch system that operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, enabling us to respond to emergencies at any time. We also strive to develop human resources in the area of security to enhance the skills of security staff and carry their expertise forward into the future.

Furthermore, on April 1, 2022, the gas pipeline division was spun off into Osaka Gas Network Co., Ltd.

Gas produced at LNG processing terminals is sent to a gas holder via high-pressure or medium-pressure pipes for stockpiling. Gas is then sent to a pressure governor, a device used to adjust gas pressure to a certain level, before it is delivered to customers.

The Daigas Group has a gas pipeline network extending more than 60,000 km, covering the entire Kinki region. Gas is sent from the terminal at high pressure, which is then gradually reduced to medium and low pressure by gas pressure regulators located throughout the pipelines. This system ensures that customers throughout the network whether they are in homes, office buildings, or factories get a safe and stable supply of gas.

Osaka Gas Network Co., Ltd. expands the gas pipeline network in line with the long-term supply plans.

To ensure that security measures are prompt and appropriate, Osaka Gas has the following three types of emergency response to a call from a customer. We carry out constant training of employees to improve their ability to handle emergencies.

On March 26, 2020, Osaka Gas concluded the Agreement on Coordination and Cooperation in the Event of a Large-scale Wide-area Disaster with the Union of Kansai Governments.

We will thereby, together with the Union and its constituent prefectures and government-designated cities, proceed to develop an information-sharing system for normal times and a coordination and cooperation system for use in times of disaster so that the daily lives of residents will be less disrupted and that the gas supply will be promptly restored in the event of a large-scale wide-area disaster.

Osaka Gas developed a system to obtain weather information, such as accumulated rainfall during typhoons and torrential rain and landslide disasters, in an integrated manner. The system, dubbed the “typhoon and torrential rain information system,” began operation in July 2015.

Previously, we had collected weather information by separately referring to websites operated by such organizations as the Japan Meteorological Agency and the Ministry of Land, Transportation and Tourism. The new system enables us to gather weather data of our service area in an integrated manner and more expeditiously.

In addition, in preparation for intensifying typhoons and heavy rains, like we have had in recent years, we promote measures against inundation of gas supply facilities and measures against sediment-related disasters to minimize the risk of city gas outage. We have also built a system to grasp the risk of river flooding at an early stage and have started operation since April 2021. If we identify the risk of inundation of gas supply facilities due to river flooding, we will establish an emergency system and take preventive measures for the facilities to ensure the safe supply of gas for our customers.

Various in-house organizations must work in close cooperation to restore gas supply suspended because of a disaster or accident. This requires that information on conditions at trouble spots be shared immediately.

Osaka Gas developed the “BRIDGE” disaster recovery support system to centrally manage real-time information from the onset of a disaster/accident through recovery, and put this system into operation in April 2012. The system links up map information with customer information, making it possible to “visualize” recovery actions by centrally managing on-site progress and reducing the time needed to complete recovery work.

In addition, the “OG-DRESS” mobile-based reporting system aimed at supporting disaster recovery has been established, enabling reporting on completion of recovery work via mobile phone. Based on such a system, we will make our response actions in the event of a disaster expeditious.

In December 2020, Osaka Gas Co., Ltd., Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd., and Toho Gas Co., Ltd., which are city gas companies, agreed to jointly develop a smart meter system for the city gas business with the aim of increasing the efficiency of gas meter reading and gas line closing operations in normal times and improving disaster resilience.

The introduction of communication-enabled smart meters will increase the efficiency of on-site work through remote gas meter reading and gas line closing. The smart meters will also enable remote gas shutoff operations (gas line closing) in the event of gas leakage as well as remote safety measures (gas line closing) and gas restoration operations (gas line opening) in the event of a disaster. This will further help enhance safety and improve resilience in supplying city gas.

Based on the agreement, the three gas companies will jointly develop a system for exchanging signals between smart meters and various business systems to achieve further reduction in the development costs. We will continue to strive to improve social benefits.

The Daigas Group strives to nurture human resources with a high level of knowledge and skills in the areas of safety and disaster prevention.

At natural gas processing terminals, we introduced an operation training simulator (OTS) in FY2005 to train employees to be able to respond to emergencies, including technical glitches, expeditiously. In FY2017, a virtual reality (VR) function using animation was added to the OTS, enabling trainees to experience serious accidents, such as fire, under the VR setting, a situation they rarely face in the real world. The upgraded OTS has been instrumental in improving employees’ safety and disaster-prevention skills to be passed on to the next generation.

The Technical Skill Development Center of Osaka Gas Network Co., Ltd. is promoting structured and systematic human resources development to build a framework (safety culture) that prevents accidents and educational efforts to spread “know-why” that teaches the meaning and background of work procedures. To convey the lessons learned from various past failures, we have also set up experiential-type training facilities that reproduce the circumstances at the time of these failures.

In addition, since 2015, we have held the Skills Championships, where staff compete in skills and knowledge in pipeline operations to ensure a higher level of security.

Also in the Energy Solutions Business Unit, the Human Resources Development Center in charge of security work for gas appliances provides various training programs to improve the quality of work.

The ultimate mission of the Daigas Group is to ensure that customers can use gas safely and with peace of mind. To this end, in November 2009 we established the Four Safety Principles to strengthen actions we had previously been taking, such as our All-Employee Gas Safety Initiative. The aim is to reduce accidents and problems by meticulously following four universal codes of conduct: Adherence to rules, Effective communication, Double checking, and Stop-work responsibility. We will follow these provisions to help make ourselves continuously aware of our responsibility to customer safety.