On 26 March 2026, the Commission published a draft determination and a more preferable draft electricity rule (draft rule). This is in response to rule change requests from Yurika, PLUS ES, the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) and Intellihub to support metering coordinators’ (MCs’) compliance with:

• testing and inspecting obligations under the National Electricity Rules (NER)
• repairing metering installation malfunctions within timeframes specified in the NER and AEMO’s malfunction Exemption procedure.

The draft rule would help MCs to meet their meter maintenance obligations

The Commission's draft rule recognises MCs can find it challenging to meet their obligations to test and inspect metering installations and repair malfunctions within timeframes specified by NER in certain circumstances where there are challenges outside MCs' control. Specifically, where MCs require support from retailers and large customers to carry out their work and/or there are site issues, including a lack of site access and defects at metering installations.

The draft rule also recognises that the current process for MCs to obtain test certificates for high voltage (HV) voltage and current transformers (VTs and CTs) is inefficient and costly.

To support MCs resolve challenges and improve compliance, the draft rule would amend the NER to:

• introduce an obligation on the person who appoints an MC (generally, retailers or large customers) to support MCs in meeting their meter maintenance obligations
• expand the exemption framework for meter malfunctions and introduce an exemption framework for testing and inspections to allow MCs greater flexibility to manage situations where a metering installation is not accessible, safe or ready
• introduce an obligation for previous MCs to share the most recent test certificate, where available, with the new MC at a metering installation.  

As a whole, the draft rule would enhance the efficiency of meter maintenance arrangements, while improving the accuracy of energy data across the NEM.

Submissions will close 7 May 2026.
Stakeholders are invited to provide written submissions on the draft determination by 7 May 2026 via the AEMC website.  

Background

Given the interactions with the four rule change requests, we have consolidated them into a single rule change process called Supporting compliance with meter maintenance obligations rule change (ERC0419/RRC0070). The consolidated rule change requests are:

• Changes to the meter testing framework for large customers submitted by Yurika Metering on 2 June 2025. 
• Compliance with metering testing requirements submitted by PLUS ES on 15 July 2025.
• Improving the metering installation maintenance framework submitted by Intellihub on 10 October 2025. 
• Supporting metering compliance submitted by AEMO on 22 September 2025.

The rule change requests proposed changes to the meter testing and inspection framework

The rule change requests consider that existing arrangements make it challenging for MCs to meet their testing and inspection obligations. The two key challenges outlined in the requests are that:

• MCs require assistance or cooperation from retailers and large customers to perform testing and inspection obligations.
• The current process for MCs to obtain test certificates for HV VTs and CTs is inefficient.

The rule change requests proposed different solutions to improve MCs’ compliance with their testing and inspection obligations:

• Yurika proposes allowing retailers to disconnect a large customer's premises for non-compliant metering.
• PLUS ES proposes requiring testing and inspection obligations to be included in commercial agreements.
• Intellihub proposes requiring retailers to inform large customers that MCs are required to test and inspect metering installations.
• AEMO proposes changing how unaccounted for Energy is allocated among retailers.

Intellihub also raised an issue with the malfunction framework. It considers that MCs would not be able to repair malfunctions, even with the extended timeframes available in circumstances that are outside MCs' control.

Intellihub proposed the rules to require AEMO to consider additional circumstances where MCs need more time to repair malfunctions.

A consultation paper was published on 4 December 2025. Submissions closed on 15 January 2026.