The ISP and RIT-Ts

The Integrated Systems Plan (ISP) is a comprehensive roadmap that outlines the development of Australia's electricity transmission network to ensure a secure, reliable and cost-effective transition to a more sustainable energy future.

The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) is responsible for developing and updating the plan. More detailed information on the ISP is available on the AEMO website.

The Regulatory Investment Test for Transmission (RIT-T) is a regulatory framework used in Australia to assess the economic and technical viability of proposed transmission projects to ensure they deliver efficient and beneficial outcomes for consumers and the electricity market.

The ISP ‘actions’ key projects by triggering RIT-T applications and the AER has developed guidelines to make the ISP actionable.

Go to the AER Guidelines to make the ISP actionable

Our role in compliance

Under the ISP Rules, AEMO must conduct an extensive and transparent consultation process in order to publish an ISP at least every 2 years.

The AER’s role is to conduct a transparency review at key points in the ISP process.

Our role in RIT-Ts for actionable ISP projects is to ensure transmission businesses are complying with the processes involved in completing a regulatory investment test.

To do this, we maintain and publish a compliance issues register.

ISP and RIT-T compliance issues register

AEMO Victoria Planning and Transgrid: VNI West PACR

Compliance reports
Release date
Transmission

Purpose of the compliance register 

The purpose of the register is to monitor and report on compliance issues identified by stakeholders, RIT-T proponents, AEMO or the AER, concerning the binding requirements of the ISP guidelines or the RIT-T.

The register provides transparency on the issue and how it is resolved.

It encourages regular engagement with AEMO and RIT-T proponents and complements a proactive approach to compliance monitoring.

Our approach 

Stakeholders are encouraged to actively participate in the ISP and RIT-T consultation processes to ensure robustness and confidence in the outcomes.

Stakeholders can tell us if they think AEMO or the RIT-T proponent is potentially non-compliant with the binding requirements of the ISP guidelines, the RIT-T or National Electricity Rules.

Before doing so, we ask that they first raise the matter with AEMO or the RIT-T proponent because the issue may be able to be resolved before contacting us.

If an issue remains unresolved, we will raise it with AEMO or the RIT-T proponent as part of our investigation. We will encourage them to address the issue as part of their respective consultation processes if they have not yet been completed.

We will publish any compliance issues we are investigating on the issues register and we may use other compliance or enforcement tools to ensure obligations are met.

Lodging a compliance issue

Stakeholders can make submissions to the AER by sending an email to aerinquiryataer [dot] gov [dot] au (aerinquiry[at]aer[dot]gov[dot]au)  that clearly identifies:

  • a brief description of the compliance issue, identifying the relevant consultation process i.e. ISP or the RIT-T for an actionable ISP project
  • reference to the relevant requirement of the ISP guidelines or the RIT-T, which is alleged to have not been complied with by AEMO or the RIT-T proponent
  • evidence of correspondence with AEMO or the RIT-T proponent demonstrating that the issue was raised with the relevant party and that it remains unresolved
  • any other supporting information that may assist in the AER’s investigation of the concerns raised.

Those wishing to submit confidential information are requested to clearly identify any information that may be part of a confidentiality claim and to provide a non-confidential version of the submission.