Albany gas closure talks began eight months before customers were told
WA has rejected taking over the network, while Albany's mayor says earlier notice could have allowed negotiations with another supplier.
Discussions between ATCO Australia and the WA government about Albany's gas network preceded customer notification by eight months, emails obtained through Freedom of Information show. ATCO announced in January that ageing infrastructure and high maintenance costs had prompted a three-year shutdown process.
The redacted correspondence shows the Department of Energy and Economic Diversification was sent a confidential briefing on 28 May 2025. Energy Minister Amber Jade Sanderson met ATCO a week afterwards. She acknowledged taking part in the meeting but said she had not received the briefing.
Sanderson said ATCO had questioned the network's commercial viability and was considering an exit. She said she had expressed the government's preference for the company to continue operating it.
Albany Mayor Greg Stocks said residents and businesses deserved earlier notification, which could have given the city an opportunity to negotiate with a second supplier. ATCO defended approaching the government first, saying WA's Economic Regulation Authority had to approve any licence-condition changes.
More than 2,500 people signed a petition presented to parliament in August seeking government intervention. Laundromat owner Hayden Jones said his business relied on gas for dryers and hot water, and wanted either a local supplier or the government to assume control.
Sanderson ruled out a government takeover. She said the network would need rebuilding because it had exhausted its technical lifespan, and identified bottled gas and electrification as the cheapest alternatives for customers.
