On 12 August 2011, the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) exempted APT Pipelines NT Pty Ltd (APTNT) from its ring fencing obligations under s. 140 of the National Gas Law (NGL).
The AER considered that APTNT’s costs of complying with the ring fencing obligations outweighs any associated public benefit. The exemption will allow staff of APTNT to undertake marketing and sales work for NT Gas Distribution, which is an associate company that takes part in a related business.
The granting of the exemption will not preclude the AER from reviewing the exemption if market conditions change substantially at any time in the future.
The final decision also repeals a previous ring fencing exemption granted to NT Gas by the ACCC in March 2002.