The Amadeus Gas Pipeline (AGP) (previously known as the Amadeus Basin to Darwin Pipeline, ABDP) is a transmission pipeline owned and operated by the APA Group through its wholly owned subsidiary APT Pipelines NT Pty Ltd. In June 2011, APA purchased the AGP from a consortium of financial institutions who had leased the pipeline to the Amadeus Gas Trust. Prior to June 2011, NT Gas managed and operated the pipeline for the trust and APA held a 96 per cent interest in both the Amadeus Gas Trust and NT Gas.
The AGP was commissioned in 1986. Augmentations since the pipelines initial commissioning are:
- Warrego compressor was commissioned in 1996 and suspended in 2009.
- In 2011, the Mainline was acquired (increased nameplate capacity to 115TJ/d)
- In 2018, the NGP connection was established (increased nameplate capacity to 165TJ/d)
The AGP pipeline transports gas to Darwin, Katherine and other locations principally to fuel electricity generation in the Northern Territory. The pipeline is 1,658 km in length and has a nominal diameter of 350mm from Palm Valley to Mataranka, 250mm from Mereenie to Tyler Pass and 300mm from Mataranka to Darwin.
The lateral pipelines that form part of the AGP pipeline are:
- Mt Todd Lateral (suspended)
- Mataranka Lateral (suspended)
- Elliot Lateral (4km) (commissioned in 1989) (DN50) (0.4 TJ/d)
- Katherine Lateral (5.45km) (commissioned 1986) (DN100) (10.4 TJ/d)
- Tennant Creek Lateral (24km)(commissioned 1986) (DN100) (3.6 TJ/d)
- Mereenie - Tylers Pass Lateral (116km) (commissioned 1986)(DN250) (60 TJ/d)
When built, gas flowed northwards to Darwin from the Palm Valley and Mereenie gas fields in the Amadeus Basin. However, since 2008 natural gas from the Blacktip gas field in the Bonaparte basin also feeds into the AGP from the Bonaparte Gas Pipeline. This gas flows north to Darwin and south towards Alice Springs. The AGP was initially subject to regulation as a covered pipeline under the Gas Code by the ACCC. It is now subject to full regulation by the AER under the NGR.
