IGEM: supporting the gas industry

Sarb Bajwa, CEO of the Institution of Gas Engineers & Managers (IGEM) outlines the activities of the chartered professional body and its plans to extend its activities in Ireland.

Who we are

Here at IGEM, our main purpose is to support every aspect of the gas industry both in the UK and abroad. As a professional engineering institution, we’re licenced by the UK Engineering Council to award CEng, IEng and EngTech status. We represent the whole of the natural gas industry – from upstream to downstream and we do this through providing a professional registration process for our members, organising agenda-setting events relevant to a wide number of sub-sectors and producing a comprehensive set of technical standards that are followed all over the world.

Founded in 1863 by some of the greatest pioneers our industry has known, IGEM has produced over 60 technical standards which are updated through a robust five-yearly review process. We also work with other bodies such as the gas regulator Ofgem and the Health and Safety Executive in ensuring we meet the needs and requirements of UK laws and regulations.

What we do

Most recently, our technical team has been busy producing the first ever set of standards concerning biomethane and biogas injection into the gas grid. This is just one example of how IGEM stays at the cutting edge of new developments in the industry and we’re careful to always keep our ears close to the ground. You can see this through our involvement with Parliamentary think tanks, the research we’re currently carrying out with HSE Laboratories and our groundbreaking activities regarding public safety issues such as carbon monoxide poisoning.

IGEM and Ireland

We’re constantly building links with gas enterprises outside the UK and our focus in recent years has turned to Ireland’s exemplary industry. While already physically connected, it’s our intention to build on the relationships we have made over the years across the Irish Sea. You may already recognise the IGEM name from our presence at the Energy Ireland conference, or maybe you attended one of our two technical training events in Dublin. We already have a number of members working in Irish companies such as Bord Gáis, Phoenix Natural Gas and engineering consultants RPS. As an IGEM member, you would have all the benefits of our membership: discounted access to standards, professional registration, our monthly publication Gas International (Gi), plus dedicated Irish events such as our upcoming awareness session on carbon monoxide and those organised by our vibrant Irish District Section.

Training and excellence

The Institution has a strong focus on professional development. As well as our full programme of technical training, the launch of the IGEM Academy this autumn heralds a whole new era of learning and development for our Institution. We’ve spent a lot of time working out exactly what SMEs in our industry want from training courses and we think we have finally perfected a programme that will address the requirements of smaller companies that don’t have access to their own in-house training resources. When it comes to excellence, IGEM is literally handing out badges; our annual Gas Industry Awards ceremony brings together hundreds of industry leaders from around the world to recognise and reward the best of the best around the gas sector.

The Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers (IGEM)
IGEM House
High Street, Kegworth
Derbyshire, DE74 2DA
Email: membership@igem.org.uk
Tel: +44 (0)1509 678154