On 31 August 2023 the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) provided the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) with two reliability instrument requests.
- T-3 reliability instrument for a forecast reliability gap in New South Wales from 1 December 2026 to 31 March 2027. The forecast reliability gap size is 250 MW.
- T-3 reliability instrument for a forecast reliability gap in Victoria from 1 December 2026 to 28 February 2027. The forecast gap size is 70 MW.
The AER must decide whether it is appropriate to make the requested reliability instruments by 31 October 2023. The AER will assess the instrument requests in accordance with the Interim Reliability Instrument Guidelines and Interim Forecasting Best Practice Guidelines.
If the AER makes the T-3 reliability instruments for New South Wales and Victoria, the Retailer Reliability Obligation will begin in both jurisdictions. This means that liable entities in New South Wales and Victoria will be on notice to enter into sufficient qualifying contracts to cover their share of one-in-two year peak demand throughout the forecast reliability gap.
The National Electricity Rules and the Interim Reliability Instrument Guidelines define the decision making criteria against which the AER must consider the reliability instrument request.
Invitation for submissions
The AER invites submissions from interested stakeholders on the reliability instrument requests by 19 September 2023. Stakeholders may choose to respond to both instrument requests in one submission. Written submissions or requests to make a submission via alternative methods should be emailed to rro
aer [dot] gov [dot] au (rro[at]aer[dot]gov[dot]au)