APA has initiated the ’Grid’ Solutions Program (GSP), a multi-year initiative to transform our hydrocarbon accounting system Energy Components, associated processes and capability to better support the daily operations of our gas transmission and storage ‘Grid’.
This will be achieved through:

1. Technology - Re-architecture of core ‘Hydrocarbon Accounting’ solution Energy Components as well as other enabling technology systems and infrastructure.
2. Processes – Change to core operational processes (e.g. submitting nominations, accessing schedules, reports & invoices).
3. Capability – uplifting the underlying capability of our Integrated Operations Centre and broader enabling functions to reflect these changes. 

We are transforming our systems, processes, and services to better meet the evolving needs of our customers, regulators, and the energy market. Ultimately, this transformation supports operational excellence and ensures we remain responsive, reliable, and future-ready.

This includes:

• Investing in systems and processes as a prudent market operator.
• Delivering products and services that reflect changing market requirements.
• Leveraging technology that supports APA’s integrated system of assets – the APA ‘GRID.’
• Streamlining nominations processes for greater efficiency.
• Enabling faster customer contract set-up and adjustments.

Grid-based architecture

We are moving away from an ‘individual asset’ to a ‘Grid-based’ architecture, where transportation across connected assets within the grid will not require interconnection nominations. This will reduce the number of nominations our customers need to submit when transporting gas across multiple pipelines.

Nomination changes

As a result of the new Grid-based architecture, there will be changes to the way customers nominate via the upgraded system. Specific examples include:

• Customers must nominate a ‘receipt’ on the same transport service as the ‘delivery’ nomination.
• Where a particular service or location within a service is not being used on a day, customers no longer need to provide a zero nomination.
• New requirements for nominating and confirming Interconnect Counter Party arrangements.
• This ‘nomination-pair’ approach will provide APA with more detailed information to maximise capacity availability for our customers and comply with regulatory reporting requirements.

Service Priority

The system will now assign the relevant service priority at scheduling which means customers will no longer need to confirm the service priority within their nomination.

Introducing Receipt Zone Inventories

Services which include multiple receipt locations will be assigned separate inventories for different receipt zones. All imbalances will be allocated to the relevant receipt zone inventory.

Automated system validations

The new system will enable timely validation of nomination and capacity requests, alerting customers promptly about nomination status and when other products or services might be required e.g. supplementary capacity.

Streamlined contract implementation

Improved contract configuration capability so that new contracts and contract variations can be implemented more swiftly, allowing our customers to leverage market opportunities and solve operational issues at short notice.

We are increasing capability of our systems to support emerging and changing products and services e.g. by providing within day capacity shaping services and systemised contracting of supplementary capacity.

Maintenance notifications

Targeted, relevant and location specific notifications will be sent to affected customers only, reducing unnecessary noise. Customers will have the ability to opt-in/out of notifications (subject to mandatory reporting obligations) and certain notification types will be grouped where possible e.g. daily, weekly and monthly notification summaries.

More straightforward invoices and reports

The layout and naming conventions contained within invoices and standard reports will be improved to make them more digestible for our customers. Specific examples include removing ‘zero’ line items from invoices, and Contract Account Reports that will be updated to align with the Grid architecture, new inventories and other changes.

Modernising and expanding system-to-system automation with customers

We are replacing both the current web service with a RESTful API and the current FTPS service with an SFTP service. We are also expanding system-to-system automation beyond transport nominations and will provide customers with the ability to submit operational requests (e.g. transport nominations, trade requests, interconnect confirmations etc.) through RESTful API and SFTP. This uplift will require changes to your systems and current integration methodology, including changes to network firewalls, security certificates, and message structures.

Changes to submission formats

Nomination submission data will be more complex (e.g. hierarchical) than at present and will be best represented using JSON or XML rather than CSV. Customers will be required to revise their current message processing systems to exchange via the JSON or XML formats.

Secure authentication

As a critical component/system within APA’s infrastructure environment, all methods for remote access will have authentication processes that align with AESCSF & SoCI regulations. Therefore, the new system will provide a secure and trusted approach for remote access to EC, the grid portal and reporting dashboards leveraging OpenID Connect and single sign on capabilities. 

We are targeting a phased go-live approach:

• Starting with our West coast customers in November 2026 and
• Our East Coast and NT customers in April 2027.

Specific go-live approach and timing will be confirmed as the project progresses. 

The upcoming changes will affect how you make nominations, which means you need to make updates to your nomination systems and processes.

We will introduce several changes to how customers transport and store gas with APA, including:

• A shift to grid based architecture
• Adjustments to nomination processes
• Changes to service priorities, inventories and automated validations.

More information outlining these changes and the impacts can be found below.

We encourage collaboration from your commercial, operational, and technical teams to ensure alignment and readiness. Your participation is essential for a smooth transition.