AGL Energy Limited (AGL) has welcomed today's announcement that the proposed Northern Expansion of the Camden Gas Project has been transitioned to the new State Significant Development (SSD) regime under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.

The SSD regime will heighten public scrutiny of issues concerning the community, while providing a robust and efficient approval process for the project to be assessed. The project will be reviewed by the specialist expertise of the independent Planning Assessment Commission.

The revised development application for the Northern Expansion will be on public exhibition from 6 November 2012 via the Department of Planning & Infrastructure website and the AGL Camden Gas Project website. The revised application incorporates several changes to the project in response to community feedback, as well as detailed groundwater information including a monitoring plan and updated modelling. Several well locations have been changed, with a reduction from 12 to 11 locations, and an updated flora and fauna study has also been prepared, demonstrating that the potential impacts of the project have been minimised.

Adam Lollback, Land and Approvals Manager, Upstream Gas, said that transitioning to the SSD regime will assist AGL in addressing community concerns and support the State Department of Planning and Infrastructure's new assessment system.

"AGL is extremely proud of this project and transitioning to SSD will not only provide a better platform for community acceptance, but provide greater project certainty."

The Northern Expansion of the Camden Gas Project will further AGL's best practice coal seam gas project which has been supplying natural gas to New South Wales families and businesses for more than 10 years. The Camden Gas Project currently supplies gas to New South Wales and the proposed expansion will increase gas supply, thereby reducing the reliance on gas from interstate.

For more information about the project visit the Camden Project website.

About AGL

AGL is one of Australia's leading integrated renewable energy companies and is taking action toward creating a sustainable energy future for our investors, communities and customers. Drawing on 175 years of experience, AGL operates retail and merchant energy businesses, power generation assets and an upstream gas portfolio. AGL has one of Australia's largest retail energy and dual fuel customer bases. AGL has a diverse power generation portfolio including base, peaking and intermediate generation plants, spread across traditional thermal generation as well as renewable sources including hydro, wind, landfill gas and biomass. AGL is Australia's largest private owner and operator of renewable energy assets and is looking to further expand this position by exploring a suite of low emission and renewable energy generation development opportunities.