The AEMC is pleased to announce the reappointment of the following three members to the Reliability Panel:

• Trevor Armstrong, Chief Operating Officer of Ausgrid, has been reappointed as the Distribution Network Service Provider (DNSP) representative for a period of three years. Mr Armstrong joined  Ausgrid as a cadet engineer in 1986 and has spent the last 30 years working in various roles including Executive General Manager System Planning & Regulation, and Executive General Manager Transmission & System Operations. He was appointed to the role of Ausgrid’s Chief Operating Officer in 2012. Mr Armstrong has an Electrical Engineering Degree, is a Fellow of the Institute of Engineers, a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Treasurer of CIGRE.

• Richard Wrightson, General Manager Wholesale Markets at AGL, has been reappointed as the Market Customer representative for a period of three years. Mr Wrightson has worked for AGL with the Wholesale Markets team being responsible for the procurement, trading and price risk management of AGL’s wholesale electricity, gas, oil, carbon and renewable requirements. In his former roles, Mr Wrightson has worked on a wide range of issues including setting up retailing, risk management, power station dispatch and wholesale trading activities.

• Gavin Dufty, Manager of Policy and Research at the St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria, has been reappointed as the end-use customer representative for a period of three years. Mr Dufty has been a domestic energy consumer advocate for over 25 years. During this time he has focused the development of consumer protections and the impact of energy pricing on vulnerable households. He is currently a member of a number of energy network and retail customer consultative committees. He is also a member of AEMO’s market leaders forum, the AER’s customer consultative committee and board member of the Energy and Water Ombudsman Victoria. Gavin has a degree in Social Science and in 2001 was awarded a Centennial medal for services to the community.

The appointments of the DNSP representative and market customer representative were made following a selection and voting process. The appointment of the end-use customer representative was made by the Commission in consultation with various energy consumer representatives. 

The Reliability Panel

The Reliability Panel's core functions relate to the safety, security and reliability of the national electricity system. The focus of the Panel's work is on determining standards and guidelines which are part of the framework for maintaining a secure and reliable power system. The panel is chaired by AEMC Commissioner, Mr Neville Henderson. Its members are broadly representative of all stakeholders interested in the operation of the power system and the electricity market including consumer groups, generators, network service providers, retailers and the power system and market operator, AEMO.