Market Review: Completed
Overview
On 30 April 2009, the Reliability Panel (Panel) published its Final Report for the Technical Standards Review. In this report, the Panel recommended:
- twelve guiding principles on which to base a detailed review of the technical standards in the NEM;
- deferring the next phase of the review, which would review the detail of the technical standards based on the 12 guiding principles, until sufficient new connections have taken place under the current technical standards such that their effectiveness can be appropriately assessed; and
- developing an interim Rule change to correct minor errors or inefficiencies in the current technical standards.
The Panel has provided this Final Report to the AEMC.
Background
In November 2005 the MCE directed the AEMC to perform a review of the enforcement and compliance with technical standards. The AEMC published the final report for its review "Review of Enforcement and Compliance with Technical Standards" on 1 September 2006. One of the dimensions addressed by the AEMC review was ensuring that there are clear and appropriate technical standards. To this end, one of the AEMC's recommendations that arose from the review was that "the AEMC will direct the AEMC Reliability Panel to undertake a review of the adequacy and content of the technical standards".
The Terms of Reference from the AEMC were published on 14 February 2008 and require that the Panel review the technical standards to identify:
- the principles that should be applied in revising the technical standards; and
- the processes for implementing the recommended changes to the technical standards including prospective Rule changes.
On 9 May 2008, the Panel published an Issues Paper on its review of the technical standards in the NEM. The Issues Paper represented the first stage of the consultation process being undertaken by the Panel. Submissions on this Issues Paper closed on 13 June 2008.
On 16 September 2008, the AEMC amended the Terms of Reference for the Panel's technical standards review to extend the delivery date of the final report to 30 April 2009. This was at the request of the Panel who advised that due to a number of complex issues that were identified by the Panel, the original date of 31 December 2008 was no longer considered feasible.
On 19 December 2008, the Panel published the Draft Report on its review of technical standards in the NEM. This report details the Panel's preferred positions in relation to the principles to be applied in revising the technical standards. Submissions on this Draft Report closed on 13 February 2009.