Objective As energy demand grows and oil and gas pipeline networks expand, traditional regulation methods struggle to meet the requirements of modern oil and gas transportation systems in terms of safety, flexibility, and economic efficiency. Intelligent regulation, integrating automatic control, artificial intelligence, and big data, has become a key development direction. However, its full implementation faces multidimensional challenges, including data quality, algorithm reliability, and hardware compatibility.

Methods A survey was conducted on the current state of intelligent regulation in oil and gas pipeline networks. Core challenges were identified across five key dimensions: standard systems, control capabilities, data infrastructure, regulation modes, and functional collaboration. Drawing on best practices from the power grid sector, a six-stage development path was proposed, comprising four progressive core capability stages (automation enhancement, intelligent situation awareness, intelligent decision-making, and autonomous regulation) and two cross-cutting support stages (standards and specifications development, and intelligent platform construction). The core capability stages focus on enhancing regulation efficiency, while the support stages ensure coordinated advancement of the entire process. This path comprehensively addresses perception, analysis, decision-making, and execution, enabling a stepwise upgrade from basic automation to autonomous intelligence.

Results The development path effectively addresses intelligent regulation challenges through staged technological upgrades. An enterprise standard draft for comments, Intelligence Grading of Oil and Gas Pipeline Regulation, was prepared, outlining clear industry goals and development path. The decision-making auxiliary tools piloted on the China-Russia East Pipeline reduced manual intervention, improving compressor unit efficiency at Mingshui Station by 0.3％ and achieving 1.6％ energy savings across the entire pipeline in 2024.

Conclusion This study proposes a comprehensive, phased plan for intelligent regulation of oil and gas pipeline networks based on industry trends and current technology. The practical implementation of the plan confirms its feasibility and effectiveness. This plan can guide enterprises in staged intelligent upgrades and provide valuable practical reference for improving the intelligent level of pipeline network regulation and enhancing the safety and economic efficiency of system operation.