The Australian Energy Regulator has today published the approved 2017–18 pricing proposals for electricity distribution network operators Energex and Ergon Energy in Queensland, Endeavour Energy and Essential Energy in New South Wales and SA Power Networks in South Australia.
The AER’s assessment included ensuring that the pricing proposals of Energex, Ergon Energy and SA Power Networks complied with Part I of chapter 6 of the National Electricity Rules and their respective distribution determinations.
For Endeavour Energy and Essential Energy the AER determined that their proposals complied with their respective enforceable undertakings.
On 19 April 2017, the AER published an open letter explaining to stakeholders the interim arrangements the AER was in the process of formalising to govern the setting of electricity network tariffs for the NSW and ACT distributors, while the appeals processes associated with the AER’s distribution determinations for these networks is on-going. At that time, the AER also published the Endeavour Energy enforceable undertaking which reflected these arrangements. Today, the AER also publishes the Essential Energy enforceable undertaking, which has now been finalised.
The AER is in the process of finalising new enforceable undertakings for 2017–18 with Ausgrid and ActewAGL. The publication of the undertakings and approved pricing proposals for these distributors is expected in the coming days.
Approved tariffs take effect from 1 July 2017 and include new cost reflective tariffs introduced through the distributors’ recently published tariff structure statements.