ER Final Decision - SA Access Arrangement

Written on the 12 May 2021 by Australian Gas Infrastructure Group

We have now received the Final Decision from the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) for our South Australian gas distribution network for the five-year period commencing on 1 July 2021. 

Released on Friday, the AER Final Decision delivers a price reduction for our customers of around 6% on our component of a customer's bill, after the impact of inflation. For the average residential customer this means a reduction of around $35 for the year commencing 1 July 2021, while small commercial customers will receive a reduction of $348.

The AER's Final Decision has accepted our proposal to complete the replacement of all cast iron mains by 2026, which is a significant safety milestone for our customers and for the business. This mains replacement program has the additional benefit of ensuring that the South Australian gas distribution network is capable of delivering a 100% carbon-free hydrogen gas supply in the future.

The decision supports the continual growth of the network, with over 40,000 new customers expected to connect to the gas network over the five-year period.

The Final Decision has also supported the following two key strategic and customer supported initiatives that we proposed:

• Vulnerable Customer Assistance Program (VCAP) which will enable us to better support customers who find themselves in vulnerable circumstances through tailored and enhanced services, such as additional support during an outage.
   
• Blending Renewable Gas the AER has approved that we start blending renewable gas into our network as part of meeting our unaccounted for gas obligation, which provides important support as we start the process of decarbonising gas supply.