The Australian Energy Market Commission today started consultation on a rule change request received from ENGIE (formerly GDF Suez Australian Energy) related to the classification of generators in the wholesale electricity market.

Under ENGIE’s proposal, the threshold at which non-intermittent generators are required to be scheduled in the central dispatch process would be reduced from those with nameplate ratings greater than 30MW to those with nameplate ratings greater than 5MW.

ENGIE has also proposed two additional changes to the National Electricity Rules, which may operate in tandem or as alternatives to the proposed threshold reduction. These include creating a new 'soft scheduled' participant category and/or requiring changes to Australian Energy Market Operator’s pre-dispatch and dispatch processes to take into account price responsiveness of non-scheduled generators and non-scheduled loads.

The Commission has also consolidated ENGIE’s rule change request with Snowy Hydro’s Demand side obligations rule change request because the issues in the rule change requests are closely related. The Commission will release one draft and final determination for the consolidated rule change as part of a single rule change process.

The consolidated rule change request will be named Non-scheduled generation and load in central dispatch.

Submissions on the consultation paper are due by Thursday, 19 May 2016.

For information contact: Media: Communication Manager, Prudence Anderson 0404 821 935 or (02) 8296 7817