Basel, September 2025 – Purapipe with Murphy and the Water Research Centre (WRc) have signed a pragmatic collaboration agreement to test the advanced composite Purapipe pipeline technology.
The controlled, off-grid environment at Gas Networks Ireland’s, internationally acknowledged Network Innovation Centre will allow initial rigorous testing before any consideration of wider use and potential applications in Ireland’s energy and water infrastructure.
The project will focus on evaluating the pipeline’s safety, performance and technical readiness in accordance with internationally recognised standards under real-world conditions, including hydrostatic and pneumatic testing.
This agreement marks a key milestone in the future strategic market entry plans of the innovative Purapipe Pipeline solution. The pilot will focus on validating the performance of Purapipe’s patented pipeline technology under real-world conditions, including hydrostatic and pneumatic testing. The project will be delivered in phases, with Murphy overseeing on-site preparation and testing, and WRc providing independent analytical and technical expertise.
Testing
The pipe will be subjected to extended duration hydrostatic testing, followed by pneumatic testing carried out on buried sections of joined pipes, to PN16 operating pressures. Selected utility companies will be invited to observe the important onsite execution of the tests. A knowledge-sharing session between Purapipe and Gas Networks Ireland will follow to review results and discuss next steps in the pilot programme.
Importantly, the initiative represents the first real-world operational test of the Purapipe pipeline technology under authentic field operational conditions – a critical step in validating the innovative pipeline solution’s operational performance, safety, and practical, commercial technical readiness.
Collaboration and expertise
Each partner brings specialist expertise to the project:
- Purapipe will coordinate overall technical input as developer of the pipeline system.
- Gas Networks Ireland will provide the Network Innovation Centre facilities and oversee the programme as part of its wider innovation strategy
- Murphy will lead site preparation and carry out the crucial hydrostatic and pneumatic
- WRc will provide analytical and technical consulting expertise
This collaborative effort underscores the importance of the pilot as a realistic and strategic step towards the future full-scale deployment of Purapipe in the national and international pipeline transportation sector.
Jesper Steen, Purapipe CEO, explains: «This cooperation marks an important milestone for Purapipe on its way to establishing its innovative pipe technology in international markets. It underlines the shared commitment of all partners involved to quality, safety and forward-looking innovative pipeline infrastructure development. The mission statement of Purapipe is strong: By producing seamless, corrosion and leakage free pipelines on-site where they are needed, Purapipe enables lower construction and operating costs, faster deployment and lower environmental footprint than any other solution.»
About Water Research Centre Limited (WRc) Water Research Centre Limited (WRc) is an international Centre of Excellence for Innovation & Growth with more than 97 years of experience in water, wastewater, environment and gas. Founded in 1927 as the Water Pollution Research Board, WRc was privatised in 1989 and has been part of the RSK Group, a leading environmental, engineering and consulting company, since 2020. WRc provides internationally recognised consulting, technical services, accreditation schemes, research, innovation and training to customers, primarily in the water, waste and environment sectors around the globe. |
About Murphy Murphy is a leading multi-disciplinary, engineering and construction company founded in 1951. The company has developed since then into a broadly diversified international, engineering infrastructure company. Murphy has specialism in all aspects of delivering transportation pipelines, such as design, structural steel, tunnelling, fabrication, bridges and piling and has a substantial holding of related plant, equipment and facilities. Murphy employs over 4,500 engineers, professional managers and skilled operatives around the world, and plays a central role in the marketplace for practical innovation in modern, advanced, infrastructure, engineering and pipeline technologies. |
About Purapipe Purapipe is a technical development company providing engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) and operation/maintenance contracts of their revolutionary pipeline technology to the public and private sectors. Purapipe’s patented pipeline technology is a unique combination of well-established and tested technologies transferred out of static manufacturing factory facilities onto mobile pipeline production platforms, operating on both onshore and offshore construction sites. Patents have been granted in 58 countries and are pending in a further 20 countries. The novel Purapipe pipeline is produced onsite as a seamless, continuous composite structure, presenting notable economic, and environmental advantages over conventional transportation pipeline systems The innovative Purapipe pipeline technology can reduce Construction Time by 50 to 80%, and Construction Costs can be decreased by 30 to 50% (CAPEX). Operational Costs can also be decreased by 30 to 40%, and importantly, the annual, recurrent Maintenance Costs can be reduced by 70 to 90%, enabling the potential achievement of a lower, annual combined operational/maintenance expenditure, (OPEX), by 60 to 75%. Construction Land (access ‘Right of Way’) can also be decreased by 50 to 75%, and the pipeline project ‘lead-time’ typically shortened from years to months. The innovative pipeline technology also provides the capability to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 80%, throughout an operational lifespan exceeding 50 years, practically contributing towards a climate neutral, transportation infrastructure solution. |
About Gas Networks Ireland Gas Networks Ireland operates and maintains Ireland’s €3bn, 14,758km national gas network, which is considered one of the safest and most modern renewables-ready gas networks in Europe Over 720,000 Irish homes and businesses trust Ireland’s gas network to provide efficient and reliable energy to meet their heating, cooking, manufacturing and transport needs. The gas network is the cornerstone of Ireland’s energy system, securely supplying more than 30% of Ireland’s total energy and almost 50% of the country’s electricity generation. Gas Networks Ireland is aiming to deliver a repurposed, resized and fully decarbonised gas network by 2045. Its “Pathway to a Net Zero Carbon Network” envisions transforming the existing gas network into two separate systems carrying 100% renewable gas, one dedicated to biomethane and the other to green hydrogen, with the potential to carry approximately 30% biomethane and 70% green hydrogen, as well as offering significant long term energy export opportunities. |