Harnessing AI—and Agentic AI—for safer pipelines

By Dr. Mehul Patel

India’s oil and gas pipeline grid is a national backbone, and corrosion is its quietest threat. For decades, cathodic protection (CP)—and specifically pipe-to-soil potential (PSP) monitoring—has been our principal defence. Regulations already tell operators what to do and how often to do it. But in practice, PSP monitoring still leans on periodic surveys, manual reviews and delayed interventions. That gap between regulatory intent and operational reality is precisely where AI—and now Agentic AI—can help.

The compliance anchor already exists
India’s rulebook is not the problem. PNGRB’s Technical Standards and Specifications including Safety Standards (T4S) for product and natural gas pipelines prescribe PSP measurement cadence (from fortnightly checks at feeding points to quarterly “ON” and annual “instant OFF” PSP at test posts), diagnostic surveys such as CIPS/DCVG at defined intervals, and protection criteria (e.g., polarized ...