APPEA director for WA and the Northern Territory, Don Sanders, said the move to a broader gas quality specification for the Dampier Bunbury Natural Gas Pipeline was consistent with other WA pipelines and Australian standards.

“The current restrictive DBNGP gas specification is the narrowest of all WA pipeline specifications and one of the narrowest in the country,” Sanders said.

“It is imperative that WA, and indeed all Australian pipelines, move towards the Australian Standard to remove barriers to gas trading and an interconnected pipeline network.

“The state’s need for a wider gas specification was first recommended by a government, industry and pipeline specification review in 1995, legislated in 1998 and foreshadowed in the most recent 2000-2004 access arrangement. Indeed, the new owners of the DBNGP bought the pipeline in full knowledge of an imminent gas specification change.”

Only about 20% of the state’s vast gas reserves fitted the previous tight specification without costly processing, according to APPEA.

“Broadening the gas specification consistent with the rest of the country would allow the greater development of the state’s reserves and promote more competition amongst suppliers,” Sanders said.

“This is a great result for the state and an opportunity to increase energy competition and develop gas reserves for the energy hungry WA market.”