The transition away from fossil fuels is accelerating in Australia, but the push to electrify is not without its challenges. One town has just lost its only supply of piped gas after the privately owned provider decided the economics no longer added up. The community affected is Albany, in Western Australia, where households and businesses now face the end of their gas network. The case highlights how the shift to cleaner energy can leave gaps when private operators step away.
For some residents, the change strikes at the heart of how they live and work. Les Palmer, an Albany man, has been in the restaurant game for more than two decades, first as a chef and more recently as an owner. Throughout the ups and downs of that career, one thing has stayed the same, he has always cooked with gas. Now that long standing arrangement is in jeopardy, as the flame he relies on to render fat and grill food is set to be taken away.
The disruption follows a decision by the company that owns Albany's gas pipeline network to shut it down. That company, the Canadian firm ATCO, told affected customers that the Albany network was getting too old and would cost too much to maintain. For those on the receiving end, the message landed hard. Being told that a utility is being removed, with little room to argue, struck some customers as deeply unfair.
The move also drew a sharp reaction from authorities. The government said it was incredibly disappointed at ATCO's decision to walk away from Albany. That frustration reflects the difficulty governments face when essential infrastructure sits in private hands and a company concludes it is no longer worth maintaining. With the network being wound down, the focus shifts to what options remain for those who depended on it.
Albany's situation also fits into a wider national trend. Across Australia, household gas use has been falling amid the switch to solar power and electrification. After peaking in 2020, total household gas use has plunged 16 percent. That decline helps explain why a provider might decide that maintaining an ageing network in a single town no longer makes commercial sense.
For some observers, the outcome in Albany serves as a cautionary tale. With many gas networks in private hands, the worry is that as more households make the switch away from gas, the remaining customers can be left exposed. When private companies are no longer making an investment, they leave, and the people still relying on the service are the ones who feel the consequences. Albany, in this view, shows how that dynamic can play out on the ground.
ATCO has stood by its decision, pointing customers toward alternatives. The company said those affected have the option to switch to bottled gas or to electrify instead. For affected residents and businesses, however, that choice means rethinking how they cook, heat and run their operations, often at their own cost. The episode leaves Albany navigating a sudden change that mirrors the broader, and at times uneven, shift in how Australia powers daily life.