PART I | Short title and commencement |
1. This Act may be cited as the Gas Act and shall come into operation on such date as the Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, appoint*.| * Please refer to various commencement dates as indicated above. |
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2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires —| “Appeal Panel” means a panel established by the Minister under section 83; |
“appointed day” means —| (a) | in relation to this Act, the date of commencement of this Act; and | | (b) | in relation to a particular provision of this Act, the date of commencement of that provision; |
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| “authorised officer” means any person authorised by the Authority under section 3(2); |
| “Authority” means the Energy Market Authority of Singapore established under the Energy Market Authority of Singapore Act (Cap. 92B); |
| “check meter” means any subsidiary device used to verify the readings taken by a meter; |
| “code of practice” means a code of practice issued or modified by the Authority under section 62; [24/2007 wef 11/06/2007] |
| “connect”, in relation to any premises, means connect to a gas main of a gas transporter, whether directly or by means of a gas service pipe, and “disconnect” and “re-connect” have corresponding meanings except that they also include discontinuing or restoring, as the case may be, the conveyance of gas to the premises; |
“consumer” means a person —| (a) | to whose premises gas is shipped; or | | (b) | whose premises are connected to a gas pipeline network for the purpose of obtaining a supply of gas; |
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| “convey” means the transmission or distribution of gas by means of gas pipes, and “conveying”, “conveyed”, and “conveyance” shall be construed accordingly; |
“direct access customer” means a person who has an arrangement with —| (a) | a gas transporter for the conveyance of gas to his premises through a gas pipeline network owned by, or under the management or control of, that gas transporter; or | | (b) | a person other than a gas transporter for the shipping of gas to his premises and has the benefit, under the arrangement, of identifiable rights for the conveyance of gas to his premises through the gas pipeline network to which his premises are connected; |
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| “director” has the same meaning as in section 4(1) of the Companies Act (Cap. 50); [24/2007 wef 11/06/2007] |
| “document” includes electronic records; |
“earthworks” means —| (a) | any act of excavating earth, rock, or other material (by whatever means) in connection with —| (i) | any work for or relating to the construction, reconstruction, extension, renovation, alteration, demolition or repair of any building, road, railway, bridge, viaduct, flyover, sewer or sewage works; | | (ii) | any work for or relating to the laying, inspecting, repairing or renewing of any main, pipe, cable, fitting or other apparatus; | | (iii) | any soil investigation work; or | | (iv) | such other works as are usually undertaken by a person carrying on business as a contractor in the construction industry or as a professional civil or structural engineer; |
| | (b) | any act of boring, dredging, jacking, levelling, piling or tunnelling on or under any premises or street by any mechanical means; or | | (c) | the driving or sinking of any earth rod, casing or tube into the ground; [24/2007 wef 11/06/2007] |
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| “electronic records” has the same meaning as in the Electronic Transactions Act (Cap. 88); |
| “exempt gas transporter” means a person carrying out any activity specified in section 6(1)(a) who is granted an exemption under section 8; |
| “gas” means natural gas and town gas, but does not include liquefied petroleum gas; |
| “gas appliance” means any appliance in which gas is consumed, either for domestic requirements (including for cooking, heating or cooling purposes) or for industrial or commercial requirements (including for powering a gas engine or as feedstock in a chemical process); |
| “gas fitting” includes any pipe, valve, meter, regulator or other device for the control, measurement and use of gas; |
| “gas importer” means a person holding a gas importer’s licence; [24/2007 wef 11/06/2007] |
| “gas importer’s licence” means a licence granted under section 7(3)(h); [24/2007 wef 11/06/2007] |
| “gas installation” means a discrete grouping of gas fittings linking a gas service pipe to a gas appliance; |
| “gas licence” means a licence granted under section 7(3); [24/2007 wef 11/06/2007] |
| “gas licensee” means a person holding a gas licence; [24/2007 wef 11/06/2007] |
| “gas main” means any gas pipe used for the distribution of gas from a gas transmission pipeline to a consumer but does not include a gas service pipe or an internal pipe; |
| “gas mains network” means a network of interconnected gas mains and related equipment; |
| “Gas Network Code” means a code issued by the Authority or modified under section 61B; [24/2007 wef 11/06/2007] |
| “gas pipeline” means a gas transmission pipeline, a gas main or a gas service pipe; [24/2007 wef 11/06/2007] |
| “gas pipeline network” means a gas transmission network, a gas mains network and gas service pipes; |
| “gas plant” means any valve, regulator, plant, pipe, equipment or apparatus used for, or for purposes connected with, the production, processing, conveyance, storage or shipping of gas; |
| “gas retailer” means a person holding a gas retailer’s licence; |
| “gas retailer’s licence” means a licence granted under section 7(3)(d); |
| “gas service isolation valve” means a valve, located at or near the boundary line of any property or the apron of any building, used by a gas transporter to isolate the supply of gas to that property or building; |
| “gas service pipe” means a pipe or any part thereof, other than a gas main, used for the purpose of conveying gas from a gas main to a gas service isolation valve, and includes any pipe owned by, or under the management or control of, a gas transporter which is used for the purpose of conveying gas from the gas service isolation valve to the meter at a consumer’s premises; |
| “gas service work” means any work carried out on any gas installation or gas appliance, in whole or in part, including any design, construction, installation, commissioning, erection, testing, repair, addition, alteration or maintenance work; |
| “gas service worker” means a person carrying on the activities referred to in section 11(1); |
| “gas shipper” means a person holding a gas shipper’s licence; [24/2007 wef 11/06/2007] |
| “gas shipper’s licence” means a licence granted under section 7(3)(c); [24/2007 wef 11/06/2007] |
| “gas supply system” means all gas pipeline networks, gas plants and other related equipment owned by, or under the management or control of, all gas transporters for the purpose of supplying gas to consumers; |
| “gas tightness” means the freedom from leak when a gas pipeline network, gas installation or gas fitting is tested at the appropriate test pressure; |
| “gas transmission pipeline” means a bulk transmission pipeline or interconnected transmission pipeline, together with equipment (including pressure regulating and control valves) used for the conveyance of gas to a direct access customer or a gas mains network, and “gas transmission network” shall be construed accordingly; |
| “gas transport agent” means a person holding a gas transport agent’s licence; [24/2007 wef 11/06/2007] |
| “gas transport agent’s licence” means a licence granted under section 7(3)(b); [24/2007 wef 11/06/2007] |
| “gas transporter” means a person holding a gas transporter’s licence; |
| “gas transporter’s licence” means a licence granted under section 7(3)(a); |
| “hotwork” means any work on a non-isolated gas pipeline network involving the use of a local source of ignition and includes welding, gas-cutting, grinding, chipping, and any process capable of generating heat, sparks or both, which may be capable of igniting flammable vapour or any other combustible material; |
| “import”, in relation to natural gas or LNG, means to bring or cause to be brought into Singapore by any means, the natural gas or LNG from any place outside Singapore, other than any such natural gas or LNG in transit or to be transhipped; but does not include the actual conveyance of such natural gas in connection therewith; [24/2007 wef 11/06/2007] |
| “information” includes information contained in electronic records; |
| “internal pipe” means any pipe, not being a gas pipeline, used for the purpose of conveying gas from a gas service pipe to a gas appliance, including a gas fitting inserted therein but excluding a meter; |
| “licensed gas business” means the business of a gas licensee in carrying on the activity in respect of which it holds a gas licence; |
| “licensed gas service worker” means a person who is licensed under section 12(3); |
| “liquefied natural gas” or “LNG” means natural gas in its liquefied state; [24/2007 wef 11/06/2007] |
“LNG terminal” means a facility located onshore or in Singapore waters which is used to receive, store or gasify LNG that is imported into Singapore and at which any or all of the following activities are carried out in relation to any LNG received at the facility (including after it has been gasified thereat): | (a) | adjustment of pressure or flow rate; | | (b) | adjustment of temperature; | | (c) | filtering; | | (d) | metering; [24/2007 wef 11/06/2007] |
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| “LNG terminal operator” means a person holding an LNG terminal operator’s licence; [24/2007 wef 11/06/2007] |
| “LNG terminal operator’s licence” means a licence granted under section 7(3)(f); [24/2007 wef 11/06/2007] |
| “meter” means any device for computing the volume of gas supplied or amount of energy supplied, for charging purposes, but does not include a check meter; |
“natural gas” means any mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons which is conveyed by gas pipes and is composed of —| (a) | predominantly methane; and | | (b) | as to the remainder, varying amounts of other hydrocarbons and other combustible and non-combustible gases; |
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| “natural gas or LNG in transit” means any natural gas or LNG that is brought into Singapore by any means solely for the purpose of being taken out of Singapore by the same or any other means, without such natural gas or LNG being brought into an onshore receiving facility or LNG terminal, or kept at any place in Singapore, pending its being taken out of Singapore; [24/2007 wef 11/06/2007] |
| “occupier” means the person in occupation of any premises and includes the person having the charge, management or control of the premises either on his own account or as agent for another person, but does not include a lodger; |
“onshore receiving facility” means a facility located in Singapore upstream of an onshore gas transmission network owned by, or under the management or control of, a gas transporter, and at which any or all of the following activities are carried out in relation to any gas received at the facility: | (a) | adjustment of pressure or flow rate; | | (b) | adjustment of temperature; | | (c) | filtering; | | (d) | metering; [24/2007 wef 11/06/2007] |
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| “onshore receiving facility operator” means a person holding an onshore receiving facility operator’s licence; [24/2007 wef 11/06/2007] |
| “onshore receiving facility operator’s licence” means a licence granted under section 7(3)(e); [24/2007 wef 11/06/2007] |
| “premises” means any building, structure or other place to which gas is, or is to be, conveyed; |
| “production” means the production of gas from a production well or a manufacturing plant; |
| “public safety” means the obviation of danger to the general public and to any public place or public property; |
| “regulations” means regulations made under this Act; |
| “relevant gas main”, in relation to a gas transporter, means a gas main under the control of that gas transporter which is in the area specified in its gas transporter’s licence and is used for conveying gas to any premises; |
| “relevant gas retailer” means, in relation to a consumer other than a direct access customer, the gas retailer who supplies that consumer with gas conveyed to his premises; [24/2007 wef 11/06/2007] |
| “relevant gas shipper” means, in relation to a consumer who is a direct access customer, the gas shipper who makes arrangements with a gas transporter for gas to be conveyed to the premises of that consumer; [24/2007 wef 11/06/2007] |
| “retail” means the supply of gas to a consumer other than a direct access customer, and “retailer and retailing” shall be construed accordingly; |
| “shipping”, in relation to gas, means arranging with a gas transporter for gas to be introduced into, conveyed by and taken out of a gas pipeline network owned by, or under the management or control of, the gas transporter for purposes connected with the supply of gas to any premises, and “ship” shall be construed accordingly; [24/2007 wef 11/06/2007] |
| “standard of performance” means a standard of performance issued or modified by the Authority under section 62; [24/2007 wef 11/06/2007] |
| “street” includes any road, highway, square, footway or passage, whether a thoroughfare or not, over which the public has a right of way, the way over any public bridge, and any road, footway or passage, open court or open alley, used or intended to be used as a means of access to 2 or more holdings, whether the public has a right of way thereover or not; and all channels, sewers, drains, tunnels, ditches and reserves at the side of any street shall be deemed to be part of the street; |
| “supply”, in relation to gas, means the physical delivery of gas to a consumer’s premises; |
| “town gas” means any substance in a gaseous state which is conveyed in gas pipes and is manufactured from petrochemical feedstock or natural gas, and has hydrogen as one of its main constituents; |
| “town gas producer” means a person holding a town gas producer’s licence; [24/2007 wef 11/06/2007] |
| “town gas producer’s licence” means a licence granted under section 7(3)(g); [24/2007 wef 11/06/2007] |
“tranship”, in relation to natural gas or LNG, means to bring or cause to be brought into Singapore the natural gas or LNG by any means solely for the purpose of taking it out of Singapore by the same or any other means —| (a) | where such natural gas or LNG is brought into an onshore receiving facility or LNG terminal, or kept at any place in Singapore, pending its being taken out of Singapore; and | | (b) | whether or not such natural gas or LNG is subject to any processing pending its being taken out of Singapore. [24/2007 wef 11/06/2007] |
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