WA Gas Services Information
The Gas Bulletin Board WA (GBB) and Gas Statement of Opportunities (GSOO) were formally established for the Western Australian gas market in 2013. The development of these information services was a key recommendation of the Gas Supply and Emergency Management Committee, following two major gas supply disruptions in Western Australia (WA) in 2008.
The GBB (WA) and WA GSOO were established under a suite of regulatory instruments including the Gas Services Information Act, Regulations and Rules, and are intended to improve the transparency of information and security, and facilitate competition, in the WA gas market.
AEMO is responsible for operating the GBB (WA) and developing the WA GSOO in accordance with the Gas Services Information (GSI) Rules and relevant GSI Procedures.
The first WA GSOO was published in July 2013 and the GBB (WA) became operational on 1 August 2013.
The public website for the GBB (WA) is here.
All relevant contact details for the WA Functions and the Western Australian Market Reform Program can be found in the WA Contact Card.
GBB (WA) and WA GSOO objectives
The specific objectives of the GBB (WA) and WA GSOO are to promote the long term interests of consumers of natural gas in relation to the:
- Security, reliability and availability of the supply of natural gas in the state.
- Efficient operation and use of natural gas services in the state.
- Efficient investment in natural gas services in the state.
- Facilitation of competition in the use of natural gas services in the state.
Overview of the GSI
The GSI Act also sets out the primary purpose of the GBB (WA) and WA GSOO, as follows:
- The GBB (WA) is a website, the primary purpose of which is to publish information about short and near term natural gas supply, transmission, storage, and demand in WA. The GBB (WA) will also provide an emergency management page to assist in the management of supply disruptions. It may also include information about other fuels, and later could be developed into a platform to facilitate the introduction of buyers and sellers of gas.
- The GSOO is an annual planning document providing a comprehensive medium to long term outlook of natural gas supply and demand in WA and natural gas transmission and storage capacity in the State.
A comprehensive explanation of the design of the GBB (WA) and WA GSOO is provided in the GSI Design Summary.
GSI Design Summary – November 2015 [1MB]
GSI Rules
The independent Rule Change Panel is responsible for the administration and decision-making functions for changes to the GSI Rules.
The following information regarding associated GSI Rule administration processes is available from the Rule Change Panel’s website:
- an overview of the rule change process;
- details and relevant documentation for all Rule Change Proposals that are under consideration or have been considered by the Rule Change Panel or the IMO;
- instructions on proposing a rule change, including the Rule Change Proposal Forms; and
- various public reports related to consultations issued by the Rule Change Panel or the IMO.
GSI audit and compliance
AEMO's compliance with the GSI Rules is audited once a year by the market auditor. The audit covers:
- Compliance of AEMO's internal procedures and business processes with the GSI Rules.
- AEMO's compliance with the GSI rules and procedures.
- AEMO's market software systems for the Gas Bulletin Board (WA) and the calculation of GSI fees and processes for software management.
The market auditor's annual reports on compliance of internal procedures and business processes, as inherited by AEMO, are available here.
Certification of Initial Software Systems
Before the start of the GBB in Western Australia, PA Consulting was appointed to certify the initial version of the software systems used in the operation of the GBBd, which includes an emergency management facility.
This certification is to ensure that the software systems are compliant with the initial version of the GSI Rules dated 24 April 2013.
A copy of the certification from PA Consulting dated 26 June 2013 is available here.