Rule Change: Completed
Overview
The Rule determination affirms the Commission’s draft Rule determination with some minor modifications and enhancements. The Rule commenced operation on 9 November 2006
Background
On 3 February 2006 the National Electricity Market Management Company (NEMMCO) submitted to the Commission a request to make a series of Rule changes relating to the metering arrangements in the National Electricity Market (NEM).
The proposed Rule changes include:
- the creation of a single national metrology procedure;
- the Local Network Service Provider (LNSP) be deemed the Responsible Person for Types 5, 6 and 7 metering installations and facilitate the economic application of Type 4 metering installations for consumers with low energy volumes;
- a non-reversion policy for interval meters;
- the manner in which interval meters are read; and
- other editorial changes.
Creating the LNSP as the Responsible Person would remove the need for the current jurisdictional derogations in Chapter 9 that expire 31 December 2006.
Under section 94 of the National Electricity Law (NEL) the Commission decided to commence initial consultation on this Rule change proposal by publishing a notice under section 95 of the NEL.
Submissions on the initial consultation closed on 19 May 2006.
Due to the size of the Rule change proposal and the complexity and difficulty associated with some issues and in particular in relation to Type 5 contestability, the Commission considers that it is in the public interest to extend the time period under s.107 of the NEL for publication of the draft determination by six weeks to 24 August 2006.
On 24 August 2006, the Commission gave notice under section 99 of the NEL of the making and publication of the draft Rule determination and draft National Electricity Amendment (Metrology) Rule 2006. The draft Rule determination fundamentally accepts NEMMCO’s proposal subject to a few enhancements and modifications including:
- variations to the role of the LNSP as deemed responsible person for types 5, 6 and 7 metering installations; and
- how Ministers of participating jurisdictions, individually and collectively as the MCE, contribute to the single metrology procedure.
The Commission initially published its section 99 notice on 24 August 2006. However, the Commission revised its notice under section 99 on 31 August 2006 to give interested parties the opportunity to make a request for a pre-determination hearing. No requests were received by the due date of 7 September 2006 and submissions closed on 12 October 2006.
The Commission gave notice on 9 November 2006 under sections 102 and 103 of the making of the National Electricity Amendment (Metrology) Rule 2006 and the corresponding final Rule determination. The Rule determination affirms the Commission’s draft Rule determination with some minor modifications and enhancements. The Rule commenced operation on 9 November 2006