The Electricity Rules require registered participants to follow dispatch instructions issued by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) unless to do so would, in the participant’s reasonable opinion, be a hazard to public safety or materially risk damaging equipment.
The AER issued two infringement notices to entities within the EnergyAustralia group, because it had reason to believe that those entities failed to follow dispatch instructions on the 13 January 2016. Specifically, the AER had reason to believe that:
- EnergyAustralia Pty Ltd, the owner and operator of Hallett Power Station in South Australia, failed to follow dispatch instructions for the generating unit at Hallett Power Station during a dispatch interval on 13 January 2016, and
- EnergyAustralia Yallourn Pty Ltd, the owner and operator of Yallourn Power Station in Victoria, failed to follow dispatch instructions for one of the generating units at Yallourn Power Station during a dispatch interval on 13 January 2016.
EnergyAustralia paid the total $40 000 infringement penalties on 22 December 2016.