The Eastern Gas Pipeline (EGP) is a transmission pipeline that operates across from the VicHub, near Longford, Victoria to Horsley Park in Sydney, the NSW.
The EGP is 797 km in length with a diameter of 450 mm. The pipeline from Longford to Sydney has a capacity of 250 TJ/day. It supplies natural gas from the Gippsland Basin gas fields in Victoria to markets in Sydney and regional centres along the route (including Cooma, Canberra and Wollongong). Gas is supplied to the EGP at the Longford and Orbost processing plants as well as the VicHub interconnect facility.
The pipeline is owned and operated by Jemena Gas Networks (Jemena Eastern Gas Pipeline (1) Pty Ltd and Jemena Eastern Gas Pipeline (2) Pty Ltd).
The EGP is currently a non-scheme pipeline, and is subject to the access regime for non-scheme pipelines under Chapter 6A of the NGL and Part 23 of the NGR.
Duke Energy lodged an access undertaking with the ACCC under the Trade Practices Act 1974 in 2000. This undertaking was not accepted by the ACCC. In addition, the EGP was also the subject of an application for coverage under the Gas Code in 2000. In October 2000, the Commonwealth Minister decided that the EGP should be a covered pipeline. However in May 2001, the Australian Competition Tribunal ordered that the Minister’s decision be set aside, resulting in coverage being revoked.
The pipeline was commissioned in 2000 and was initially owned and operated by Duke Energy. Ownership subsequently passed to Alinta and, then in 2007, to Jemena Gas Networks. In 2016, the EGP completed and commissioned the Wilton Lateral.
Background
The pipeline was commissioned in 2000 and was initially owned and operated by Duke Energy.
The pipeline was not subject to regulation under the Gas Code and, as an alternative, Duke Energy proposed an access undertaking to the ACCC under the Trade Practices Act 1974 in 2000. This undertaking was not accepted by the ACCC.
However, the EGP was also the subject of an application for coverage under the Gas Code in 2000. In October 2000, following a recommendation by the NCC, the Commonwealth Minister decided that the EGP should be a covered pipeline. However in May 2001, the Australian Competition Tribunal ordered that the Minister’s decision be set aside, resulting in the EGP not being a covered pipeline. The EGP remained unregulated until the introduction of Part 23 of the NGR in 2017.
Ownership passed from Duke Energy to Alinta in 2004 and, then in 2007, to Jemena.