The Carpentaria Gas Pipeline (CGP), also known as the Ballera to Mount Isa Pipeline, is a transmission pipeline owned and operated by the APA Group. APA owns the pipeline through its wholly owned subsidiaries APT Pipelines (QLD) Pty Limited and Roverton Pty Limited (which together are known as the Carpentaria Gas Pipeline Joint Venture).
In December 2004, APA acquired the South West Queensland Producers’ (including Santos, Origin and Delhi) 30 per cent interest in the CGP giving it full ownership of the pipeline.
The CGP was constructed in 1998 to transport gas from the Ballera gas processing plant in south west Queensland to customers in Mt Isa (including the Mica Creek and Diamantina power stations) and the surrounding Carpentaria mineral province (via the Cannington lateral). The total length of the CGP is 942 km. This includes 840 km for the mainline (Ballera to Mt Isa), 96 km for the Cannington lateral and 6 km for the Mt Isa lateral.
The CGP was initially subject to regulation as a covered pipeline under the Gas Code by the ACCC. However, it was the subject of a Queensland Government derogation which precluded the ACCC from reviewing the reference tariff, reference tariff policy, reference service and review date for the initial access arrangement period. The reference tariff was instead approved by the Queensland Minister.
In passing the National Gas (Queensland) Act 2008 to implement the NGL, the Queensland Government also passed a regulation that, among other things, specified that the CGP be subject to light regulation and that it cannot be the subject of a full access arrangement until 30 April 2023.
The CGP is subject to light regulation under the NGL by the AER.