21 June 2012
On 21 June 2012, the AEMC published a supplementary submission to the Transmission Frameworks Review provided by Grid Australia. The paper submitted discusses the application of different forms of economic regulation to transmission services, and was prepared for Grid Australia by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
21 June 2012
The AEMC has decided under section 107 of the National Electricity Law to extend by two weeks the period of time for making the draft rule determination on the Small Generation Aggregator Framework rule proposal. The draft rule determination will now be published on 5 July 2012. The extension is due to issues of complexity and difficulty relating to how the proposed framework for a new type of Market Participant may fit within the structure of the National Electricity Rules.
21 June 2012
The AEMC has decided under section 107 of the National Electricity Law and section 317 of the National Gas Law to extend the period of time for the making of the draft rule determinations on the economic regulation of network service providers rule change requests. The publication of the draft rule determinations have been extended to 23 August 2012. The AEMC has also published a Consultation Notice to conduct a further short round of stakeholder consultation on cost of debt issues.
21 June 2012
On 21 June 2012, the AEMC published a draft rule determination on optimisation of regulatory asset base and the continued use of fully depreciated assets. The draft rule determination proposes not to make a rule in response to the MEU’s rule change requests. The AEMC's reasons are set out in the draft rule determination.
14 June 2012
The fourth meeting of the Stakeholder Reference Group (SRG) was held on Monday 28 May 2012 in Sydney. The purpose of the meeting was to continue discussing potential solutions to issues identified in the Power of choice directions paper. The meeting focussed on potential solutions relating to network regulation and incentives, wholesale and ancillary services markets and supply chain interactions.
Details of the outcomes of the meeting, including presentations by the AEMC, ENA and EnerNOC can be found at the Power of choice review page.
14 June 2012
On 14 June 2011, the AEMC decided to make a Rule that was initiated by the AEMC to correct minor errors and make non-material changes to the National Electricity Rules (the Rules) to promote clarity of meaning and to remove identified errors in the Rules. Schedule 1 of the National Electricity Amendment (Minor Changes) Rule 2012 No. 3 will commence operation on 26 July 2012 and Schedule 2 will commence operation on 1 July 2016.
14 June 2012
On 14 June 2012, the Commission published a draft rule determination and draft rule for the distribution network planning and expansion framework rule change request.
The Commission's draft determination is to make a more preferable rule. The draft rule is largely reflective of, and consistent with, the rule proposed by the Ministerial Council on Energy (MCE).
Submissions on the draft rule determination, including draft rule, close on 9 August 2012.
14 June 2012
On 14 June 2012, the AEMC initiated the rule change process on a rule change request proposed by ClimateWorks Australia, Seed Advisory and the Property Council of Australia. The rule change request seeks to make a more timely, clearer and less expensive process for connecting embedded generators to a distribution network. The AEMC has published a staff consultation paper. Submissions close on 9 August 2012.
08 June 2012
The AEMC has called for public submissions on the draft report published under the Review of electricity distribution reliability outcomes and standards.
This draft report is the first time that trade offs between cost and reliability have been looked at publicly in Australia and the first time NSW customers have been surveyed about the value they place on a reliable supply of electricity.
It looked at changes in investment and reliability performance across four scenarios compared to continuing current requirements for distribution reliability.
The draft report says that cost savings of up to $2.5 billion over 15 years are possible if the level of distribution reliability is reduced in NSW – with limited impact on outages for customers.
Significant investment to meet the current requirements for distribution reliability in NSW has already been committed, since they were established in 2005. Savings on residential electricity bills are likely to be modest, as further investment to meet distribution reliability requirements will only have a limited impact on retail electricity prices.
The review responds to NSW Government concerns that the State’s reliability standards have been driving increased investment in electricity distribution networks and contributing to higher retail prices. The NSW Government will use our advice to decide if any changes should be made to future levels of distribution reliability in NSW.
The review has analysed data from two sources:
A final report will be published in late August 2012.
08 June 2012
The AEMC has today published an issues paper commencing consultation on advice that it has been asked to provide to the Standing Council on Energy and Resources (SCER) in relation to the resilience of the financial relationships and markets that underpin the operation of the National Electricity Market (NEM).
SCER requested that the AEMC, with input from market participants, provide advice on any risks to the efficient functioning of the NEM arising from financial interdependencies between market participants as a result of their exposure to a common spot price and their hedging arrangements. The AEMC will advise on:
The AEMC has commenced public consultation on the development of this advice with the publication of an issues paper and SCER’s request for advice.