The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) today released the revised Network Service Provider Registration Exemption Guideline (Guideline) and accompanying final decision. The revised guideline features an expanded discussion of retail competition arrangements in those jurisdictions where it is available and adds new predefined exemption classes for some recently identified network activities.
Under the National Electricity Law and the National Electricity Rules anyone who engages in an electricity transmission or distribution activity must either be:
- registered with the Australian Energy Market Operator as an electricity network service provider, or
- must gain an exemption from the requirement to be a registered network service provider from the Australian Energy Regulator.
No matter how small the network, anyone who supplies electricity to another person over a private network of any kind is providing an electricity distribution service. An exemption is required for any unregistered network by which electricity is supplied to another party, be that party a legal person, corporation, government department or statutory body of any kind.
This Guideline sets the requirements for the exemption from registration and the AER’s conditions for the operation of privately-owned electricity networks.
Persons involved in the on-selling of electricity generally need to conform to both this Guideline and (in those jurisdiction where the National Energy Retail Law applies) the AER’s Retail Exempt Selling Guideline.