On 17 December 2024, the AER received a ring-fencing waiver application from CitiPower, Powercor, and United Energy (collectively referred to as CPU) for a waiver from clauses 3.1(b) and 4.2 of the Ring‑fencing guideline (electricity distribution). This waiver will allow CPU to install and maintain kerbside electric vehicle charging infrastructure (referred to as EVCI) in their distribution areas.
CPU states that the purpose of this trial is to test implementing and maintaining public EV charging stations in an efficient and cost‑effective way, to expedite the installation of EV charging points. The trial would also allow CPU to gather data and practical experience to inform EV charger deployment, including information on constraints, utilisation and quality of supply. CPU will not operate the EVCI, rather, it will provide an unregulated third party with access to the EVCI, with the third-party acquiring retail services from a licensed retailer.
We are seeking stakeholder views on the opportunities and risks of CPU, as a distribution network service provider (DNSP), owning, installing and maintaining EVCI in its network. These include the potential benefits to customers derived from CPU providing EVCI services versus the potential impacts on competition in the EV charging market. That is, we consider whether the costs of CPU complying with the guideline outweighs the benefits to consumers of compliance (including the benefits from the development of a competitive market).
To facilitate consultation, we have released an accompanying consultation paper outlining these issues and our specific questions for stakeholder feedback.
We welcome and encourage stakeholder submissions and invite stakeholders to participate in one of a series of stakeholder workshops we are holding as part of this consultation.
Have your say
The AER invites stakeholders to provide written submissions by 13 June 2025. Submissions and requests to make a submission via alternative methods should be emailed to AERringfencing
aer [dot] gov [dot] au (AERringfencing[at]aer[dot]gov[dot]au).
The AER prefers to make written submissions publicly available, to facilitate an informed and transparent consultative process. Written submissions will be treated as public documents unless otherwise requested.
Stakeholder workshops
The AER will hold three public stakeholder workshops online in early May as part of the public consultation process, with a workshop for each of the following groups of stakeholders:
- Government, consumers and consumer interest groups;
- Contestable service providers unrelated to DNSPs and industry representative bodies; and
- DNSPs and its related entities, and network representative bodies
Please register your interest at this link here. We will send further details on the time and date to registrants separately.
The aim of these workshops is for stakeholders to have the opportunity to discuss their views on CPU’s waiver application openly with the AER. Stakeholders can also use these workshops to ask questions prior to providing a formal submission. Feedback provided in these workshops will assist us in our assessment CPU’s waiver application and related issues to their proposal.