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❓ Mr Leary questions the lack of ERA oversight regarding the Albany gas network's economic viability and ATCO's cost claims, particularly given its monopoly status. The government states the ERA has no role in assessing the network.

AnsweredQoN 2055Legislative Assembly

Asked

14 April 2026

Member

Mr Scott Leary

Portfolio

Energy and Decarbonisation

QuestionView source ↗

I refer to the regulatory status of the Albany gas network and ask:(a) Has the Economic Regulation Authority (ERA) been requested to assess the economic viability of maintaining or upgrading the Albany gas network;(b) If not, why not;(c) Given ATCO operates as a monopoly infrastructure provider, what regulatory mechanism exists to test whether its claim of “uneconomic” or “unacceptable cost” is valid;(d) As stated in the Policy, does the current non-scheme or exempt status of the Albany network limit transparency or oversight of pricing and investment decisions;(e) Has the Government considered requiring ATCO to submit its costings to the ERA for independent assessment; and(f) Would the Government support an independent regulatory review to determine whether upgrade costs could be recovered through shared cost and regulated supply charges over time?