​Since the pouring of the first concrete slab in mid-2015, there has been a lot of buzz about Perth’s new state of the art multi-purpose stadium. With 60,000 seats and a design that is set to offer a premium experience for spectators from the time they arrive until they’re on their way home, the stadium is set to become a must-visit destination on Australia’s sporting and entertainment landscape.

For many West Australians, this project is an exciting indication of Perth’s growth as a city, and for ATCO, it has also offered an opportunity to provide a sophisticated and sustainable energy solution that all visitors to the stadium can benefit from.

ATCO Gas Australia was awarded a contract by the stadium builder, Multiplex, to connect the new stadium to Western Australia’s gas network. As part of the works, we’ve installed a custom twin stream meter set that is capable of supplying pressure of 20 kPa. The increased supply pressure being delivered to the new Optus Stadium needed to be significantly higher than standard commercial installations to account for the large volume of natural gas appliances that can be used at any one time and assisted in reducing the costs of pipework downstream of the meter.

There are around 250 natural gas appliances installed at the venue across 70 food and beverage outlets, while 1,529 bathrooms as well as cooling and heating systems require natural gas for direct use or the supply of hot water.  The stadium has taken full advantage of the secure, reliable and affordable energy from natural gas.

“The gas infrastructure we’ve installed at the new Optus Stadium will ensure the community and visitors to Western Australia can enjoy the benefits of natural gas in a world class venue,” said Russell James, General Manager Construction at ATCO Gas Australia.

"In total, we have installed around one kilometre of new pipelines and infrastructure to deliver the gas to the venue. With this new infrastructure in place, the Stadium will be able to meet gas consumption demands of up to 15,000 MJ per hour which is enough to run 1,000 gas cooktops at the same time.  Throughout the process, ATCO’s inspection team was hard at work checking the appliances and ensuring their safe and suitable installation.

"In what was quite a complex project, ATCO also worked alongside many other service providers to enable the construction of the pipeline to progress efficiently. The existing railway line adjacent to the Stadium also posed a challenge, as we needed to consider its location and impact when planning and carrying out our work.

“Due to the location of the Stadium there was a significant amount of work involved by ATCO Gas Australia and our contractors to manage heritage, environmental and project requirements and constraints whilst making sure we met all deadlines and budgets,” said Russell.

“With diligent collaboration from each of our team members, we’re proud of what we have delivered to this major project.”