Advanced Satellite Monitoring Outperforms Traditional Inspection Methods
BHE GT&S successfully enhanced their pipeline monitoring operations using Orbital Eye's COSMIC-EYE platform, detecting significantly more potential threats than traditional aerial patrols and improving Class Location monitoring across their network.
About BHE GT&S
BHE GT&S is a leading interstate natural gas transmission and storage company headquartered in Glen Allen, Virginia, with operations spanning 10 states. As a standalone subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Energy, the company operates approximately 5,400 miles of transmission lines in the eastern U.S., providing essential energy services to major utilities, power plants, and manufacturing facilities.
The Challenge
BHE GT&S previously relied on traditional inspection methods – such as monthly helicopter flyovers - to monitor their extensive pipeline network for Third Party Interferences (TPI) and other potential threats. This approach, however, is limited in both detection capability and monitoring frequency.
Additionally, their Class Location monitoring – critical for regulatory compliance – relied on a patchwork of disconnected methods, including walking patrols, aerial inspections, and GIS data. This fragmented approach lacked a cohesive overview of structural changes near pipeline corridors.
The Solution: Comprehensive Satellite Monitoring
In the second half of 2024 BHE GT&S launched a demonstration project using Orbital Eye’s COSMIC-EYE platform to monitor approximately 300 miles (500 kilometers) of their pipeline network. The implementation focused on two critical applications:
Infrastructure Monitoring: COSMIC-EYE provided more frequent surveillance passes than traditional helicopter inspections, significantly increasing the detection of Third Party Interferences (TPIs) and other threats to pipeline integrity.
- Class Location Monitoring: The platform offered a unified, clearly mapped overview of newly built or removed structures near pipeline corridors, effectively replacing the previous patchwork of monitoring methods.
The technology integrated seamlessly into BHE GT&S's existing operational workflow, delivering actionable intelligence while reducing reliance on resource-intensive traditional monitoring methods.
Results and Impact
BHE GT&S successfully utilized the Orbital Eye online application (COSMIC-EYE) to review and categorize identified third-party interferences (TPIs). BHE operations teams found the application intuitive and easy to use, with only minimal training required for operational use.
The COSMIC-EYE implementation delivered substantial benefits:
Superior Detection: The satellite-based platform identified several times more TPIs compared to monthly helicopter inspections, substantially improving situational awareness early threat detection.
Enhanced Visibility for Class Location: By identifying numerous new and removed structures, the system enhanced situational awareness and supported proactive regulatory alignment and risk management.
- Operational Efficiency: Frequent and automated satellite surveillance provided network-wide coverage with minimal resources, effectively overcoming the limitations of traditional helicopter monitoring.
Looking Ahead
Following the successful demonstration, BHE GT&S is expanding the use of COSMIC-EYE across a larger segment of their network. This phased deployment reflects the company's confidence in satellite-based monitoring as a core component of its long-term pipeline safety and integrity strategy.