Eni creates new venture to enhance pipeline monitoring technology

Italian energy giant Eni has created a new venture called Enivibes, dedicated to increasing the market value of its proprietary vibroacoustic pipeline monitoring system technology.

Illustration; Source: Eni

The establishment of the new venture comes as Eni wishes to enhance the market value of its proprietary technology called e-vpms (Eni Vibroacoustic Pipeline Monitoring System), used for monitoring of liquid transportation pipelines and aimed at optimally protecting their integrity.

Enivibes is the first venture established as part of the activities of Eniverse, the company’s Corporate Venture Builder. Eni holds 76 per cent of the venture, Aresys 16 per cent and Solgeo 8 per cent.

According to the Italian firm, Enivibes represents an important step forward in achieving the goal of launching five new startups by 2025, by leveraging the company’s portfolio of technologies, internal skills and assets, and its innovation ecosystem.

The e-vpms technology is said to be designed and developed to perform real-time analysis and monitoring activities on new or existing pipelines, for hydrocarbon and water transportation, through a vibroacoustic wave system that detects external interference, such as break-in attempts or accidental pipeline impacts, and flow variations, maximizing the efficiency of transportation systems.

This solution, due to the installation of high-sensitivity acquisition stations, enables rapid and localized interventions, Eni said. It is currently installed on several fluid transport lines in Italy and abroad.

It is worth mentioning that earlier this year Eni finalized the sale of a 49.9 per cent stake in the companies operating two groups of international gas pipelines between Algeria and Italy to compatriot energy player Snam.

This includes the onshore gas pipelines running from the Algeria and Tunisia borders to the Tunisian coast (TTPC), and the offshore gas pipelines connecting the Tunisian coast to Italy (TMPC).