Special Sessions

Panel Description on the website

 Targeted Audience

Proposed Date

Proposed Time

Harnessing experimental and state of the art practices and technologies – A geohazard discussion panel

As technologies and approaches for understanding geological and hydrotechnical hazards continue to evolve, the pipeline industry faces an important challenge: how do innovative research and emerging practices transition into operational applications, industry standards, and regulatory expectations?

This Special Session brings together pipeline operators and regulators from Canada and the United States to discuss the future of geohazard management, exploring the challenges, opportunities, and pathways for broader adoption of leading practices.

Geohazard SME's

Tuesday (Sep 22)

1:30 – 3:00 pm

Understanding and Managing Complex Interacting Threats - Discussion Panel

Interacting threats are among the most complex challenges in pipeline integrity management. Unlike isolated anomalies, interacting threats occur when multiple conditions—such as dents, cracks, corrosion, gouging, or weld-related features—combine in ways that can increase risk and complicate detection, assessment, and mitigation decisions.

This special session will bring together operator perspectives to discuss practical approaches for identifying, assessing, and managing interacting threats. The goal is to provide attendees with actionable insight into when to monitor, when to investigate further, and when to escalate to excavation or repair.

Integrity professionals / threat management SMEs/ risk practitioners

Wednesday (Sep 23)

8:30 – 10:00 am

Global Perspectives on Hydrogen and CO2 Pipeline Development

This special session brings together global perspectives on the development of hydrogen and CO₂ pipeline infrastructure, highlighting emerging projects, technical challenges, and evolving industry guidance.

The first presentation will provide an overview of hydrogen pipeline development in China and discuss the challenges of gaseous hydrogen embrittlement in steel pipelines, including its mechanisms and practical mitigation strategies.

The second presentation will focus on DNV-RP-F104 for CO₂ pipelines and the ongoing Joint Industry Project to update the recommended practice, including technical work underway to address the challenges associated with CO₂ pipeline transportation.

Together, the presentations will offer insight into how engineering solutions and industry practices are evolving to support safe and reliable hydrogen and CO₂ pipeline systems.

Emerging fuels SME's

Wednesday (Sep 23)

10:30 – 12:00 pm

Operational Excellence in Pipeline Data Management: From TVC to Defensible Integrity Decisions

Pipeline integrity depends on the quality, traceability, and reliability of data. In this Special Session at IPC 2026, industry leaders will explore how Traceable, Verifiable, and Complete (TVC) data management practices can transform pipeline information into a trusted foundation for risk-based and integrity decision-making.

Integrity practitioners/ data management professionals/ and decision makers

Wednesday (Sep 23)

3:30 -5:00 pm

From Prescriptive to Performance-Based: The Future of Pipeline Safety Regulation?

This panel is intended as a leadership-level conversation bringing together regulatory authorities and industry leaders to discuss how regulatory systems can evolve while maintaining or improving pipeline safety performance.

The audience will leave with a clearer understanding of:

• The differences between prescriptive, performance-based, and goal-based regulatory models.

• Lessons learned from regulatory approaches used in North America and internationally.

• How innovation can be enabled while preserving public trust and accountability.

• What capabilities operators and regulators require to succeed under a more outcome-focused framework.

• Practical opportunities and challenges associated with implementing goal-based regulation in the pipeline industry.

Directors/VPs/regulators/ integrity professionals

Thursday (Sep 24)

8:30 – 10:00 pm

The Role of AI in Pipeline Industry

Many industries have improved performance by using data, technologies and expertise to be more evidence based. The Nuclear, Avian and Formula one Industries have clearly demonstrated the powerful role of collective data in improving performance and consequently public confidence and operational efficiency.

A thoughtful scientific basis leads us to consider all data, technologies, and expertise appropriately to see the blind spots of each other and improve processes, leading to decision making that tangibly improves safety performance.

In the pipeline industry we have understood the importance of data, and in select areas have harnessed its power. PRCI is establishing a Data Institute to enable collective data sharing and meaningful use of latest technologies, with broad international and specific analytics to identify how we can accelerate performance improvement and communicate critical safety related developments.

AI adoption is a salient topic for us all and many of us are working how best to use AI in our jobs and industry.

In this panel we will share great examples of how expertise with critical thinking, data, and AI complement each other appropriately, to improve performance. We will discuss related pitfalls and opportunities in current industry.

AI, data analytics, and digital transformation practitioners/decision makers

Thursday (Sep 24)

10:30 -12:00 pm

Women in Energy Panel

Join the 2026 IPC's special session panel "Women Powering Innovation, Leadership and the Future of Pipelines". This highly anticipated session will bring together influential voices who are driving meaningful change across the industry while fostering inclusive, high-performing teams and sparking innovative thinking.

-Andrea Jalbert, VP of Regulatory for Canada Gas, TC Energy

-Arti Bhatia, VP Engineering, TransMountain

-Chioma Izugbokwe, Director for Research & Innovation, CER

-Maria Marcano, Sr. PM, Kinder Morgan

Host: Jasmen Atwal, Supervisor, TIS & FEMINEN Chair – Enbridge

Moderator: Claudia Soriano Vazquez, Specialist Engineer & FEMINEN Member – Enbridge

Women engineers/ allies/ mentors / invited guests /industry leaders

Thursday (Sep 24)

3:30 -5:00 pm