TIGF, a subsidiary of Total, is a major player in the transportation of gas in France (13% of the French transport network and 15% of transited national volumes). TIGF constructs and operates over 5000 km of pipelines spread across 15 counties in southern France but also 560 supplier service stations, 550 switching stations and 4 compressor stations. TIGF also possesses 22% of French gas storage capacities.

In 2009, TIGF decided to improve and modernise its Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) capacities, integrated within its industrial systems. Monitoring facilities contribute to the achievement of TIGF’s commitments with respect of its clients and also with regards to safety requirements imposed when people and property are situated within the perimeter of the operated gas infrastructures. The purpose of this assistance was partly to enable TIGF to have all the information to make the decision to change its SCADA system and also to accompany it all along the period of change (study and preparation phase, deployment). Thus, the management contract was undertaken in close partnership with TIGF IT and professional teams and addressed a variety of subjects:

• Review of existing solutions in gas transport and storage, through a study of the main SCADA on the market (ABB, Areva, Honewell, IDS, Lavalin, PSI, Rockwell, Schneider, Siemens, Thales, Wonderware, etc.). Network simulation and optimisation tools (Atmos, Pipeline Manager, Simone) were also tackled, as well as data historians (PI)

• Identification of specific functional needs in order to achieve precise functional specifications

• Study of architecture of the transport activity to identify the components to be maintained and improved and which type of data model to be used

• Definition of strategic objectives in line with urban planning studies and the elaboration of scenarios

• Drafting of technical specifications for software and hardware suppliers (editors and service providers)

• Definition of a financial framework with the estimation of a provisional budget

• Recommendations and decision-making assistance for the solution/solutions based on different scenarios (convergence of informatics tools)

Assistance during the deployment phase (validation of detailed specifications, back-up activities for tests and migration).