British Pipeline Agency
# British Pipeline Agency

British Pipeline Agency Ltd (BPA) is a joint venture, established in 1969, between BP Oil UK and Shell UK. The company operates the UK oil pipeline network of oil pipelines which transport petroleum products around the UK.

## Operations

BPA replaced the pipeline operations group of Shell Mex & BP in the late 1960s and took over the role as the majority operator on the Government Pipeline and Storage System (GPSS).

As originally conceived the pipeline system comprised 1,600 miles of pipelines carrying 7.25 million tons a year of light oils, or 470 million ton miles annually.

GPA continued as the major operator of the GPSS under reimbursable and fully indemnified contracts until the 1990s when those contracts were ended and the GPSS was instead operated by a number of companies under competitively tendered term contracts.

The pipelines currently operated by BPA are:

British Pipeline Agency operated pipelines :

| Name of pipeline facility | Product carried | From | To | Length (km) | Diameter (inches) | Flowrate | Note |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| UKOP | Refined products | Stanlow | Kingsbury | | 10 | | |
| UKOP | Refined products | Kingsbury | Buncefield | | 10/12 | | |
| UKOP | Refined products | Buncefield | Kingsbury | | | | |
| UKOP | Refined products | Thames (Canvey/ Coryton / Shell Haven) | Buncefield | 650 (total length Thames to Mersey) | | 800 $m^3/h$ at 85 bar | |
| West London Pipeline and Storage | Aviation fuel | Buncefield | Walton | | 6/8 | | Commissioned 1968 & 1984 |
| West London Pipeline and Storage | Aviation fuel | Walton | Heathrow | | 6 | | |
| London Airport Pipeline | Aviation fuel | Walton | Heathrow | | | | |
| Colnbrook Rail Terminal | Aviation fuel | Colnbrook | Heathrow | 1.9 | 12 | | |
| Walton – Gatwick Pipeline System | Aviation fuel | Walton | Gatwick | 36 | 10 | | Commissioned 1984 |
| Finaline | Refined products | Lindsay oil refinery | Buncefield | 232 | 10 | | Commissioned 1967 |
| Bacton North Walsham | Gas condensate | Bacton gas terminal | North Walsham | 8.3 | 6 | | Commissioned 1969. Rail tanker loading at North Walsham |

## The company

The BPA Board comprises five Directors, although the Articles of Association allows for up to ten. One director acts as the Chairman and one is the General Manager. There is also a company secretary. The registered office is 5-7 Alexandra Road, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP2 5BS.

In 2020 the company made a pre-tax profit of £1,490,000.

BPA has nearly 200 staff.

