The AEMC has published discussion notes from the first meeting of the technical working group which is helping to inform the AEMC’s assessment of three rule change requests related to wholesale demand response. This project is looking at different approaches to facilitating wholesale demand response in the national electricity market.

Members of the group are experts from consumer groups, large consumers, network businesses, retailers, technology providers, market bodies and AEMO. 

At the meeting on 22 March 2019 the group discussed a range of issues relating to the potential options for facilitating wholesale demand response in the national electricity market, including:

• the differences between large and small consumers, the resultant value proposition and the possible implications for policy development in relation to facilitating wholesale demand response 
• ways to possibly reduce the obligations associated with parties who wish to become retailers for the main purpose of providing demand response products 
• approaches to how demand response could be physically separated at a consumer’s premises from other electricity services
• approaches to how costs could be recovered under a mechanism for wholesale demand response, including the implications this would have for AEMO’s settlement system and retailers’ billing systems. 

These rule change requests are being progressed as part of the Commission’s broader system security and reliability work program.  A draft determination on the rule change request is due to be published in July 2019.

Media: Prudence Anderson, Communication Director, 02 8296 7817; 0404 821 935