Application for coverage of the Dawson Valley Pipeline

On 16 March 2005, the Council received an application under the National Third Party Access Code for Natural Gas Pipeline Systems (Gas Code) from Molopo Australia Limited for coverage of the Dawson Valley Pipeline. The pipeline (Qld: PPL 26) extends from Dawson Valley to the Wallumbilla to Gladstone Pipeline.

On 4 April 2005, the Council released an issues paper on the application to assist stakeholders. The Council called for public submissions in response to the application. Two submissions, and supplementary information from the applicant, were received.

On 8 July 2005, the Council released a draft recommendation on the application for coverage. The draft recommendation was that the Dawson Valley Pipeline did not meet all the criteria for coverage under the Code and should not be covered. The Council called for further submissions from interested parties by Friday 22 July 2005. One further submission was received from the applicant.

On 4 August 2005, the Council forwarded a final recommendation to the relevant decision-maker (in this case the Australian Government Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources - the Hon Ian Macfarlane). The Council's final recommendation was that the Dawson Valley Pipeline should not be covered under the Gas Code. The Council was not satisfied that all four of the criteria in section 1.9 of the Gas Code were met for the pipeline.

On 31 October 2005, the Council provided the relevant Minister with supplementary advice. The supplementary advice sets out the Council's response to the Minister's request of 5 October 2005 to examine the ownership arrangements of the Dawson Valley Pipeline in the context of the Council's Recommendation. The advice also responds to a request by the Minister dated 7 September 2005 that the Council consider matters raised with him by the Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources and by the applicant. The Council considered that the Minister should set aside the Final Recommendation of 4 August 2005 and determine that the DVP be covered under the Gas Code.

On 26 April 2006, the Hon Ian Macfarlane released his decision that the Dawson Valley Pipeline should be a covered pipeline under the Gas Code.

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