The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) has today published the draft gas pipeline information disclosure guidelines, and accompanying templates, for consultation. We are seeking stakeholder views on the following documents:
- draft gas pipeline information disclosure guidelines (draft Guidelines)
- Part 10 financial reporting template including the pricing template (for gas pipeline users)
- Part 10 financial reporting template handbook and basis of preparation template
- Part 18A price reporting guidelines (found within the draft Guidelines)
- Part 18A actual prices payable template (for stand-alone compression and storage facility users)
About the draft gas pipeline information disclosure guidelines
The draft Guidelines are intended to improve transparency and the bargaining power of gas pipeline users. They set out the prescribed transparency information that service providers of both scheme and non-scheme pipelines must publish, including:
- financial information to be published in the Part 10 financial reporting template
- the methodology, principles and inputs used to calculate the financial information
- information required to be published about standing prices and actual prices payable.
The draft Guidelines, financial template and pricing template apply to all gas pipeline service providers under Part 10 of the National Gas Rules.
About the pricing template
The pricing template allows pipeline users to transform financial information published by a service provider in the Part 10 financial template into pricing benchmarks for each pipeline service. These benchmarks will assist pipeline users to negotiate a fair price for access to pipeline services.
About the draft Part 18A price reporting guidelines
Part 18A of the National Gas Rules sets out the information disclosure requirements for storage and compression facilities for the first time. Service providers of these facilities must now publish standing terms (including standing prices) and actual prices payable.
Consultation
Interested stakeholders are invited to make submissions on the draft gas pipeline information disclosure guidelines, Part 10 financial template, pricing template and draft Part 18A price reporting guidelines by 23 August 2023. Submissions should be sent electronically to: AERgasreform
aer [dot] gov [dot] au (AERgasreform[at]aer[dot]gov[dot]au). We will consider these submissions for the final guidelines and templates, which will be published later this year.
Workshop
We invite interested stakeholders to a workshop on Tuesday, 15 August 2023. The workshop will provide stakeholders with an opportunity to discuss the draft guidelines and templates ahead of making a written submission.
Interested stakeholders can register for the workshop.