Newcastle Gas Storage Facility

Natural gas is an essential energy source, supplied to more than a million industrial and commercial gas users in NSW – such as hospitals, schools, businesses and residential customers.

The Newcastle Gas Storage Facility (NGSF) is an important link in NSW’s natural gas infrastructure, helping provide energy security and employment in the region. The facility gives the region a reliable supply of gas – meeting AGL's peak gas market requirements over winter and providing additional security of gas supply during disruption events.

A 5.5 kilometer long pipeline connects the gas storage facility to the receiving station at Hexham. The latter links the NGSF into the NSW gas network via the existing Wilton-Newcastle trunk pipeline.

Location

The NGSF is primarily located in Tomago, and has a receiving station at Hexham, about 20 kilometers north-west of Newcastle, NSW. The land is large enough for ongoing operations and is appropriately buffered from residential areas.

This location was selected because of its proximity to:

the Wilton-Newcastle trunk line of the NSW gas network (the northern-most point that the gas network currently reaches on the NSW coast)
gas users, including industrial customers.

Newcastle Gas Storage Facility project map (PDF)

About the facility

The NGSF stores and handles very large quantities of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Pipeline natural gas is converted to LNG by cooling it to -162°C and is then stored to meet peak domestic gas market requirements over winter and provides additional security of gas supply during supply disruption events. The plant is capable of processing up to 66,500 tonnes of LNG per year.

It includes an insulated, non-pressurised LNG storage tank capable of containing 30,000 tonnes or 63,000 m³ of LNG, equivalent to 1.5 petajoules (PJ) of natural gas, and an associated containment area.

The NGSF stores and handles very large quantities of liquefied natural gas (LNG). As the quantity of natural gas to be stored is above threshold amounts, it has been classified as a Major Hazard Facility (MHF) by the NSW Government.

Major hazard facilities include sites like oil refineries, chemical manufacturing plants, LPG facilities, and gas-processing plants and the NGSF is one of 39 major hazard facilities in NSW.

To ensure that safety is managed to the highest standard, the NSW Government has a regulatory framework for the control of MHFs. Under this regulatory framework, AGL has had to prepare and submit to Government a formally documented Safety Case, before it gained its MHF license. AGL’s Safety Case demonstrates how we safely manage and operate the site. It demonstrates the measures we have taken to minimise the likelihood of a major accident occurring, and documents the measures taken to minimise the consequences of any major accident in the unlikely event that it does occur. In the unlikely event of a major incident, follow the instructions of the local State Emergency Service (SES).

Community complaints and enquiries

AGL understands that we don’t always get it right, and we want to be informed when we don’t. If you would like to provide any feedback, good or bad, or simply ask some questions, please feel free to get in touch via the following channels: