An overview of the oil and gas pipeline safety in China

Emerging trends in digitization, intelligence, and low-carbon transition have significantly affected China's oil and gas pipeline development strategies. Emerging technology has resulted in significant cost savings but has also raised concerns about the safety of oil and gas pipelines. From the perspectives of infrastructure construction, safety assurance technology, and legal and regulatory frameworks, this study offers a survey and assessment of the current practices to identify the safety issues and challenges of oil and gas pipelines. Critical recommendations have been synthesized and discussed, focusing on the aspects of policy and technology, that is, the long-lifetime oil and gas pipeline safety assurance system with legal guidance and policy supplements, and the research and application of key technologies on the inherent safety design, resilience enhancement, intelligent safe operation and maintenance, and green and low-carbon transition. This study aims to identify the key issues addressed and challenges faced by research and development activities and to identify the gaps and opportunities for future research and development to ensure the safety of China's oil and gas pipelines.