The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) has published its fourth annual electricity network performance report. The AER’s network performance reports look at key outcomes and trends in the regulated network services to illustrate how network businesses are performing under the regulatory regime.
The AER’s latest report looks at electricity network performance in 2022 and finds that:
- Network revenue remains largely stable with only a marginal increase in 2022. Revenue in 2021 and 2022 was lower than any other year since 2010.
- Network reliability was high in 2022 relative to most previous years.
- Networks achieved a lower return on assets in 2022 compared to 2021.
- Networks achieved a higher return on regulated equity in 2022 compared to 2021, largely due to increased inflation.
In 2022, consumers have continued to pay less for electricity transmission and distribution services than they have over most of the last decade whilst maintaining strong network maintenance and service quality.
The AER will continue to closely monitor spending by network businesses to ensure that consumers are paying no more than necessary for energy.