ISO 15589-1:2003 specifies requirements and gives recommendations for the pre-installation surveys, design, materials, equipment, fabrication, installation, commissioning, operation, inspection and maintenance of cathodic protection systems for on-land pipelines, as defined in ISO 13623, for the petroleum and natural gas industries.

ISO 15589-1:2003 is applicable to buried carbon steel and stainless steel pipelines on land. It can also apply to landfalls of offshore pipeline sections protected by onshore-based cathodic protection installations.

ISO 15589-1:2003 is also applicable to retrofits, modifications and repairs made to existing pipeline systems.

NOTE Special conditions sometimes exist where cathodic protection is ineffective or only partially effective. Such conditions can include elevated temperatures, disbonded coatings, thermal insulating coatings, shielding, bacterial attack and unusual contaminants in the electrolyte.