Application for 15 year no-coverage determination - Comet Ridge to Wallumbilla Pipeline Loop (CRWPL)

On 12 February 2015 the Council received an application under section 151 of the National Gas Law (NGL) from GLNG Operations Pty Ltd for a 15 year no-coverage determination in relation to a proposed natural gas pipeline that will run between Comet Ridge and Wallumbilla in Queensland.

The proposed pipeline (the CRWPL) will transport gas from sources at, or near, Roma via the Wallumbilla Gas Hub to Comet Ridge and ultimately to GLNG’s LNG facility at Curtis Island via the GLNG Pipeline.

The effect of a 15 year no-coverage determination is to exempt the pipeline from coverage under the NGL for 15 years from its commissioning.

Copies of the application and supporting materials are available under the Application tab in the left navigation panel.

In the course of its preliminary consideration of the application the Council sought additional information from the applicant in relation to the basis on which the CRWPL could be considered a greenfields pipeline. The applicant’s response to this request is contained in a letter from its solicitors dated 17 February 2015. This letter is also available under the Application tab.

The Council invited written submissions in response to the application from interested parties by 12 March 2015. The Council did not receive any submissions.

On 20 March 2015, the Council published its draft recommendation, which was in favour of granting a no-coverage determination. The draft recommendation can be found under the Draft recommendation tab. The Council determined that the pipeline is a transmission pipeline, and therefore the relevant Minister is the Commonwealth Minister for Industry and Science, the Hon. Ian Macfarlane MP. Interested parties were invited to make submissions on the Council’s draft recommendation by 14 April 2015. The Council did not receive any submissions.

On 1 April 2015 the Council received a response from the solicitors acting for GLNG in relation to the conclusion in the draft recommendation that the CRWPL was a greenfields pipeline project by virtue of paragraph (b) of the definition rather than being a structurally separate pipeline under paragraph (a). This response is available under the Submissions on draft recommendation tab.

On 29 April 2015 the Council published its final recommendation. The Council recommends that the relevant Minister decide to make a 15-year no-coverage determination in respect of the CRWPL. The Council’s reasoning for its recommendation (including the pipeline classification decision) is available for download under the Final recommendation and decision tab.

The relevant Minister has decided to make a no-coverage determination for the CRWPL in accord with the Council’s final recommendation. The relevant Minister’s determination and statement of reasons, which was received on 1 June 2015, are available for download under the Final recommendation and decision tab.

On 29 October 2015, GLNG Operations Pty Ltd wrote a letter to the Council stating that the Comet Ridge to Wallumbilla pipeline loop the subject of the no-coverage determination was commissioned on 13 July 2015. On that basis, the no-coverage determination will expire on 13 July 2030.

The Council’s Gas Guide (which contains information on 15 year no-coverage determinations and the decision-making process) and a guide to making a submission on applications made under the National Gas Law are available from the Council’s website.

You can register your interest in this matter by completing the registration of interest form below and emailing it to gas@ncc.gov.au or by telephoning 1800 099 470. Other inquiries may be directed to John Feil on (03) 9290 1499.

Registration of interest (RTF, 295KB)