The Natrual Gas Sectors of Australia and New Zealand



The Australian gas industry continues to expand in the levels of gas sales, customer numbers, the extent of the pipeline and distribution systems, with new gas fields being discovered and developed and through new gas consuming industrial projects, power generation and new direct gas use applications.
After six years of gas market reform Australia’s natural gas industry has dramatically changed. The gas production, transmission, distribution and retail sectors of the industry are now almost entirely in private hands. There is a new national third party pipeline access regulatory system covering all transmission and distribution assets, and a programme for full retail contestability. There are also renewed moves to reform the upstream gas supply sector which has so far largely escaped the process.
Natural gas pipelines did not appear in Australia until the late 1960s when Australia's oil and gas industries were being developed. The country now has an extensive network of pipe-lines covering Australia with three distinct interconnecting networks.
Australia’s natural gas fields are linked to major markets by over 20,000 km of high-pressure transmission pipelines. The natural gas distribution network is comprised of over 75,000 km of gas reticulation pipeline.
Two major companies currently involved in gas production in New Zealand are: Shell Petroleum Mining, with an overwhelmingly dominant share, and Todd Petroleum Mining Limited (Todd Energy)

While two companies will continue to play a dominant role in gas production in New Zealand, there are signs that this could change. In addition to Shell and Todd, there are fifty-four compa-nies that own rights to exploratory tracts in the country and as the industry makes the transition to other sources of supply, it is probable that other companies will emerge as important pro-ducers of gas.

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