The energy transition can be delivered more cheaply and quickly if new generators and storage connect in places that facilitate the full benefit of all these resources coming into the national power system. To achieve this, Energy Ministers have asked the ESB to develop a detailed design for a reformed transmission access regime that delivers coordinated transmission and generation investment.

On 10 November 2022, the ESB published a directions paper that sets out the ESB’s preliminary thinking on the model design that we could ultimately recommend to Ministers. The model is designed to incorporate stakeholders’ ideas in a way that best promotes the access reform objectives, in the overall interests of consumers. There are two key variants, which reflect two different ways of signalling efficient investment locations to prospective investors:

• Priority access – this option establishes a queue in the event of bids being tied at the market price floor to prioritise access to the regional reference price (RRP)
• Congestion fees – the option leverages the transmission planning process to administer fees that reflect the level of available hosting capacity for new generation.

The choice between priority access and congestion fees represents a fork in the road for the development of the model. In addition, the ESB seeks stakeholder views on a range of detailed design choices to be included within our recommendations to Ministers. 

Stakeholder feedback in response to the directions paper will inform the ESB as it develops a draft preferred model. The purpose of this technical forum is to give stakeholders the opportunity to ask clarifying questions and to discuss the design choices associated with the hybrid model.

Please note log-in details for the webinar will be circulated via email once registration is closed.

Registration closes: Friday 2 December 2022, 12 noon AEDT.