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Overview
Gas Information Exchange Protocols (GIEPs) specify and standardise the format for exchanging gas market information between retailers and distributors, for example consumption information used to determine network billing charges.
Participants can securely exchange GIEP information through the GIEP Exchange, a Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) service, provided by the Gas Registry Operator (Jade Software).
The four GIEPs in place are not regulated. GIEPs can be incorporated into contracts between retailers and distributors, such as Use of System Agreements. The information exchanged under a GIEP may vary depending on the parties' contractual arrangements and system requirements.
Although GIEP file formats are not mandated by regulation, they are provided as industry guidelines to support consistency and improve industry practices.
Current Protocols
Non-regulated GIEPs
Historical and updated GIEPs are retained and published so that participants can transition to updated protocols and make associated system changes at mutually agreed times. To facilitate this approach, all future protocol releases will be assigned version numbers for reference and change management purposes.
Related documents
Background
In 2010, Gas Industry Co established the Information Exchange File Formats Working Group to develop file formats required under gas market governance arrangements, recommend changes to existing formats, and develop protocols to support information exchange between industry participants. This work led to the development of the four current Gas Information Exchange Protocols:
Following industry consultation, these file formats were approved by the Information Exchange File Formats Working Group and aligned with equivalent information exchange protocols used in the electricity industry.
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Submissions
Developing
In May 2025, we consulted with industry participants on a review of the existing Gas Information Exchange Protocols (GIEPs) and the possible introduction of new GIEPs.
Some of the proposed protocols were developed to support recent changes and priorities in the gas industry, including:
- Advanced Gas Meters
- Gas Consumer Care Guidelines
- Use of System Agreements between distributors and retailers
We also proposed a number of protocols based on information exchange protocols already used in the electricity industry. To help improve information sharing, streamline processes, and increase operational efficiency.
This process determined which protocols to develop, and these were drafted.
In February 2026, we received further industry feedback on the drafted protocols.