The ACCC has granted interim authorisation for Vintage Energy Ltd, Metgasco Ltd. and Bridgeport (Cooper Basin) Pty Ltd. to enter into joint marketing arrangements. Vintage, Metgasco and Bridgeport are joint venture partners at the Vali field, a new gas field in the early stages of development which is located in the Queensland Cooper/Eromanga Basin. None of the parties currently produce or sell natural gas.

Interim authorisation allows the parties to begin jointly negotiating and entering into conditional long-term agreements with customers for the supply of gas from the Vali field. The parties can also jointly supply minor quantities of gas to customers on a fully interruptible basis for a short period until 31 December 2021, while they establish the flow characteristics of the Vali field. Vintage, Metgasco and Bridgeport applied for authorisation to jointly market and sell gas from the Vali field to customers on common terms and conditions including price.

Without authorisation, the joint marketing arrangement would risk breaching competition laws.