Submissions published: More efficient distribution pricing
We have published the 40 submissions received on our consultation paper More efficient distribution prices. This paper proposed amending the distribution pricing principles and the introduction of a monitoring regime. The consultation closed on 19 February. We acknowledge the effort and resource put into the written submissions and discussions on the proposals. We are now considering our response.
Submissions published: Review of regulatory settings for official conservation campaigns
We have published submissions received on the review of regulatory settings for official conservation campaigns consultation paper. Submissions closed on 11 February.
Public release of UTS decision scheduled for Thursday, 28 February
On 8 November 2018 we received a claim of an undesirable trading situation (UTS) in the wholesale electricity market.
The Authority has completed its investigation and the Board has made a decision on the claim.
We intend to publish the decision on the morning of Thursday, 28 February. The full decision will be published on our website, and we will notify you of its publication through a special Market Brief.
We will also distribute and publish a media release to accompany the decision.
The claim and additional documentation are available on our website.
At its most recent meeting on 14 February, the Authority Board received an initial report from the Innovation and Participation Advisory Group (IPAG) that addresses a set of questions about the development of open electricity networks.
The Authority believes more equal access and open networks are critical to remove barriers to innovation and participation. In particular, we foresee growing interest in technologies and systems collectively known as distributed energy resources (DER), which include solar panels, electric vehicles, storage batteries and demand-response systems in homes.
We want to help ensure consumers can get the benefits of DER, while avoiding possible reliability and technical problems they could cause for networks. Also, we believe this work will provide a level playing field for parties wanting to offer DER.
The Commerce Commission, which has responsibility for regulating distributor price and quality standards, has an observer role on the IPAG.
Once the IPAG report is finalised, the Authority and Commission will indicate the next steps.
We have approved a settlement between Transpower, as the grid owner and as the system operator, and Meridian Energy Limited, concerning a self-reported breach of the Electricity Industry Participation Code 2010 (Code) by the grid owner.
The breach persisted from 12 August 2017 to 3 April 2018, when the grid owner failed to ensure it operated the HVDC within the limits of the asset capability statement that it had provided to the system operator.
We have discontinued the following investigations into alleged breaches of the Code:
Alleged breach of clause 11.15AB(4) of the Code by Genesis Energy Limited. Clause 11.15AB(4) prohibits a losing trader from initiating contact with a customer of a save-protected gaining trader during the save protection period to attempt to persuade the customer to terminate the arrangement with the gaining trader.
Self-reported breaches of clauses 4.1(b) and 6.1(d) of the Security of Supply Forecasting and Information Policy by Transpower as the system operator. The investigation concerned the system operator’s failure to determine the hydro risk curves (HRCs) by including the contingent hydro storage of Lake Tekapo as controlled hydro storage between 16 December 2013 and 29 August 2018.
Notification of our decisions and reasons are available on our website.
We have granted and gazetted an exemption (No. 276).
Nova Energy Limited are exempt from complying with the obligation in clause 7(1) of Schedule 11.4 of the Code to provide to the registry manager with the information indicated in line 30 of Table 1 in Schedule 11.4 of the Code. This exemption applies only if:
a. the relevant meter or data storage device has an AMI flag of "Y";
b. the data channel is for export energy; and
c. the data channel is not required to supply volume information under Part 15 of the Code.
The exemption came into force on Thursday, 21 February 2019.
The Gazette notice, including our reasons for granting the exemption, are available on our website.
