Airport Improvement Magazine Feature of LASFuel LVA Pipeline to Assure Fuel Supply to Harry Reid International (LAS) Airport
To support the increasing demand for Jet-A fuel at Harry Reid International Airport, the LASFUEL Consortium evaluated various scenarios for future secure fuel delivery. Ultimately, the Airline Consortium elected to negotiate a connection agreement with Kinder Morgan and construct a new 3.6-mile pipeline spur off an 8-inch and 14-inch pipeline and into new infrastructure at the LAS airport fuel storage facility. The new pipeline extends through downtown Las Vegas and includes crossing under Interstate 15 and Las Vegas Boulevard.
In the May 2022 edition of Airport Improvement Magazine they share a comprehensive look at the complexities of this roughly $70 million initiative, funded entirely by the local fuel consortium, that began in the early 2000s.
With our clients, local government partners and industry peers, Argus Consulting recently celebrated the commissioning of the pipeline with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
From the Article
“The existing pipeline varied in diameter from 12 inches to just 6 inches, which resulted in a bottleneck in the line,” [president of LASFuel, Nolan Getty, who works for Southwest Airlines] explains. “This project replaced that with a 16-inch bypass line that eliminates the bottleneck and increases the rate and volume of fuel that can be received at one time. However, there was a significant amount of red tape to get through along the way. That’s where our partnership with Argus became a real asset.”
As one of leading fueling infrastructure engineering firms in North America, Argus Consulting tapped into its experience in aviation and several other industries to tackle the LAS pipeline project. In addition to acting as construction manager, Argus also served as a project advisor before construction began. Dan Liss, director of Asset Management Services for the firm, has had the Las Vegas pipeline on his plate for the last 10 years.
“The LASFuel pipeline project is an excellent example of the coordination, communication and genuine partnership required by all parties to get a project like this designed, built, commissioned and operational,” says Liss. “Under the best circumstances, this is a challenging situation. With COVID-19 going on, every challenge was magnified exponentially.”
Getting It Done
Steve Waag, Argus founder and former owner’s representative for LASFuel, served as a technical advisor for the project since 2005. Along the way, he played a key role in securing right-of-way access for the pipeline and other fundamental precursors to construction.
“Property acquisitions, crossing the jurisdictions of railroads, utilities and others takes a tremendous amount of planning and coordination,” says Waag, who retired in September 2021 after more than 40 years in the aviation fuel industry. “From the studies that were done to increase storage capacity in 2005 to pumping fuel in the spring of 2022 represents a lot of work by a lot of people. It’s fantastic to see it finally come to fruition.”
Waag, Liss, and Getty all praise the airport for great partnership during the implementation process, especially once the pipeline crossed onto LAS property. For example, the airport allowed contractors to perform much of their airfield work at night in order to limit the impact of construction on the traveling public. The airport also took the lead coordinating with the FAA.
All the coordination and planning were rewarded in March, when the airport, LASFuel, Argus and system operator Swissport Fueling Services celebrated completing the pipeline with a sense of triumphant elation.
Read the full article here.
