Version 5 of Guideline Released

On 24 February 2025, the AER released version 5 of the Electricity transmission ring-fencing guideline (the Guideline), accompanied by an explanatory statement. The updated guideline focuses on extending ring-fencing obligations to negotiated connection services, in addition to several other changes to improve the ring-fencing framework.

The amendments seek to ensure the guideline remains fit for purpose in a changing regulatory landscape and electricity market by:

• Extending ring-fencing obligations to negotiated connection services in order to protect competition in contestable services.
• Clarifying that transmission network service providers must not use their monopoly in negotiated connection services to discriminate between providers of contestable connection services.
• Including additional reporting and compliance obligations, to increase transparency and ensure effective monitoring of compliance with the guideline.

Transmission network service providers will need to comply with version 5 of the guideline from 24 August 2025.