❓ Mr Leary questions the regulatory oversight of ATCO's Albany gas network, particularly regarding economic viability assessments, cost transparency, and potential for cost recovery through regulated charges. He seeks to understand if the current regulatory framework adequately protects consumers given ATCO's monopoly.

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? 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?