The Victorian Transmission System (VTS) is owned and maintained by APA but operated by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) under a market-based centrally co-ordinated carriage system under the National Gas Rules.

The Victorian Transmission System comprises approximately 1,992 kilometres of pipelines transporting gas from various inlet points to load centres throughout Victoria. Almost all the natural gas consumed in Victoria is transported through the VTS.

The Victorian Transmission System is fully regulated, which means that prices for reference services and the terms and conditions are subject to regulatory oversight by the Australian Energy Regulator. The key regulation instrument is the pipeline’s Access Arrangement, which must be consistent with the national gas objective.

The national gas objective requires that we efficiently invest in, and efficiently operate, the VTS in the long-term interest of consumers. This is in line with APA’s Purpose, our Customer Promise, Values and Decision Compass.

An access arrangement must be revised periodically. The VTS Access Arrangement for the current regulatory period must be revised by 1 January 2023. We are now preparing the revised access arrangement for the 2023–27 regulatory period.

Before submitting the access arrangement revision proposal to the regulator on 1 December 2021, APA will be engaging with VTS stakeholders to gain their insights, hear their views and to answer any questions arising throughout this process. Involvement by the VTS Stakeholder Engagement Group will help shape our plans for the VTS. Our guiding principles for this engagement are:

  • No surprises: we want to reveal as much as possible about our plans ahead of making our submission to the regulator.
  • Clear, accurate and timely communication: we will aim to prepare information to allow sufficient time for you to consider and provide feedback.
  • Easy to understand: we will not become too technical and we will prepare information that can be read and understood by a wide audience.
  • Transparent: we will aim to be transparent about our thinking and plans but, as an ASX-listed company, there are rules about what we can and can’t make public.
  • Consumer influence: we aim to be open about what is and what isn’t open to consumer influence.

APA VTS 2023-27 access arrangement proposal

APA VTS submitted the 2023-27 access arrangement proposal to the Australian Energy Regulator in December 2021.

The proposal overview document (A look at plans for VTS), revised access arrangement and information, regulatory models, response to regulatory information notice, supporting material for capital expenditure business cases, stakeholder engagement material, and consultant report can be found on the AER website.

VTS Engagement Timeline

Here are the key dates for engagement on the VTS revised access arrangement.

vts timetable phase 4.PNG

Documentation

All VTS engagement documents are on this webpage.

2020

2021

2022

Contact

Please email [email protected] to ask any questions or provide feedback on the APA’s VTS access arrangement or stakeholder engagement plans, to request an invite to an engagement session, or to arrange a private consultation.