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HomeMy WebLinkAboutINS-19-012 - 2019 Gas Pipeline ProjectsREPORT TO:Community & Infrastructure Services Committee DATE OF MEETING:August 12, 2019 SUBMITTED BY:Greg St. Louis, Director, Utilities, 519-741-2600 x4538 PREPARED BY:Sylvie Eastman, Utilities Engineer, 519-741-2600 x4178 WARD (S) INVOLVED:All Wards DATE OF REPORT:August 1, 2019 REPORT NO.:INS-19-012 SUBJECT:2019Gas PipelineProjects ___________________________________________________________________________ RECOMMENDATION: That the 2019 budget for Gas Pipelines be increased by$2.1Mto be funded from the Gas Delivery Capital Reserve Fund. BACKGROUND: The Gas Pipelinesbudget is comprised of the following accounts: Replacement Mainsincludes replacing existing gas mains and associated services for variousreasons including: conflict with proposed infrastructure, insufficient capacity, and/or condition. Gas infrastructure must be replaced/relocated if required by the road authority per the Public Utilities on Highways Act. To the extent possible, gas infrastructure replacement is coordinated with road reconstruction to minimize project costs and inconvenience to residents.These projects are typically done by a contractor due to the size of these projects. New Mainsincludes the installation ofnew gas mains to service customers in new subdivisions or to increase the capacity or reliability of the existing gas distribution network. Projects are developer-driven, and may be constructed by a contractor or by internal crews. New Servicesincludes installing gas services in new subdivisions or redevelopment of existing areas.Projects are customer-driven, and may be constructed by a contractor or by internal crews. The gas pipelines construction contract with NPL Canada Ltd (NPL), is for the period March 15, 2017 to March 15, 2020 and has an annual value of $6,147,264.92 (plus HST). This contract has an option to renew for an additional two years. REPORT: The gas pipelines budget is utilized to ensure the gas utility is able to respond to both internal drivers (replacement of aging infrastructure) and external drivers such as utility relocations associated with road reconstruction works and service needs for new customers (developer/customer driven). Road infrastructure work at the requestof external agencies such as the Ministry of Transportation or the Region of Waterloo cannot be refused by the Utility, under legislation. The vast majority of the gas pipeline work and associated budget are influenced by external drivers as demonstrated in Figure 1. ***This information is available in accessible formats upon request. *** Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994for assistance. 14 - 1 Customer-driven projects include new mains, new services, and replacement to increase capacity.Road Authority-Driven projects are those replacement projects required by the road authority (City or Region) due to conflict between existing gas infrastructure and proposed road infrastructure.End-of-Life projects are required because the infrastructure is nearing the end of its design life, and are coordinated with road work. The gas pipeline construction contract was tendered in 2017 as a 3-year unit price contract. It was awarded to NPL Canada Ltd (NPL), for the period March 15, 2017 to March 15, 2020 and has an annual value of $6,147,264.92 (plus HST). Due to the significant amount of external demands for pipe replacement/relocation and newservices, the gas pipeline budget is forecasted to be in a deficit by end of 2019. Staff has reviewed the scheduled work and priority of projects, deferring projects into 2020 where possible;however,there remains a large body of work that must be completed in 2019, requiring an additional $2,100,000 in the gas pipelines capital budget.Staff are recommending funding the additional budget requirement from the Gas Delivery Capital Reserve Fund. ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN: The the delivery of core service. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: The existing balance in the Gas Delivery Capital Reserve Fundis approximately $2.5M with a transfer of $2.1M to the Gas Pipeline project would leave a balance of $400,000. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: INFORM council meeting. ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Denise McGoldrick, GM Infrastructure Services 14 - 2