OffGAR is currently reviewing Epic Energy's revised proposed Access Arrangement for the DBNGP following the release of its own ruling in May this year, while an amended draft decision for the GGP is also working its way through the system.

The assessment periods of both pipelines have been extended by a further two months in accordance with the requirements of the National Third Party Access Code for Natural Gas Pipeline Systems.

The extension will provide some relief for Epic Energy, which has committed to the sale of its Australian assets, including the DBNGP.

Epic has high hopes of achieving a good upfront tariff from its key customers to underpin a good price for its Western Australian gas pipeline, as the outcome of negotiations with its core customers, Alcoa, Alinta and Western Power, is expected to prove crucial to a competitive bidding war for the asset.

However, Australian Pipeline Trust (APA) chief Jim McDonald said in a recent open briefing that Epic was unlikely to receive the $2 billion plus that it was looking for in the sale as buyers such as APA would take the regulators ruling into consideration when calculating the value of the asset.

McDonald also took a swipe at Epic's claim that OffGAR's May tariff ruling was too low and under the level promised by the previous State government in 1998.

The ruling left Epic unable to generate a sufficient return from the pipeline to pay its debts or fund a $900 million expansion of the pipeline, sparking Epic's need to sell its assets before a six-month repayment extension expires in March.

"I agree with the direction that the regulator took. The regulator listened to the Supreme Court and produced a considered decision," he said. "The final outcome will determine a starting point on value for the Dampier to Bunbury pipeline," McDonald told the briefing.