The Riverland Pipeline System (also known as the Riverland Pipeline) is transmission pipeline owned by Australian Gas Networks (AGN – formerly known as Envestra Limited). Operation of the pipeline is outsourced to the APA Group. Envestra was created in 1997 when networks in South Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory that were owned by the former South Australian Gas Company, Gas Corporation of Queensland and Centre Gas Pty Ltd were combined into one entity.
The Riverland Pipeline was constructed in 1995 to transport gas from the Angaston lateral on the Moomba to Adelaide Pipeline System (MAPS) to the towns of Murray Bridge and Berri in eastern South Australia. The Riverland Pipeline is 224 km in length, 114mm in nominal diameter and consists of a mainline pipeline (Angaston to Berri) and a lateral pipeline (Sedan to Murray Bridge) which is 65km in length and 114 mm in nominal diameter. The Riverland Pipeline also delivers gas to the Mildura Pipeline at Berri.
The Riverland Pipeline was initially a covered pipeline under the Gas Code. In 1999, Envestra submitted an access arrangement proposal for the pipeline to the ACCC. However, coverage for the pipeline was revoked by the relevant minister in 2001 prior to the ACCC completing its assessment of the access arrangement proposal.
The Riverland Pipeline remains a non-scheme pipeline, and is subject to the access regime for non-scheme pipelines under Part 10 of the National Gas Rules (NGR). It was previously subject to the access regime for non-scheme pipelines under the former Part 23 of the NGR, which was replaced by Part 10.
The AER has granted the following exemptions for the Riverland Pipeline:
- On 13 December 2017, a five year Category 3 exemption under Part 23 of the NGR.
- On 30 November 2022, a five year Category 3 exemption under Part 23 of the NGR. Due to reforms to the NGR, the exemption transitioned to a Category 2 exemption under Part 10 of the NGR.
