On 7 June 2018 the AEMC made a final rule on Reliability Panel governance arrangements. The final rule amends the National Electricity Rules to: clarify some existing clauses relating to Panel governance; update some clauses to align with the Panel’s existing practices; and address some matters relating to the current governance of the Panel.

Final rule

The final rule addresses a number of issues relating to:

• Panel composition, appointments and removal of members
• consultation procedures
• timing and publication of specific reports and reviews.

The Commission considered that the rule would contribute to the achievement of the National Electricity Objective by promoting effective execution of responsibilities, transparency, and appropriate and timely consultation processes.

The final rule starts on 1 July 2018.

Background

On 22 December 2017 the AEMC received a rule change request from the Reliability Panel seeking to amend the NER to clarify and update the Panel’s governance arrangements.

This rule change request was a result of the internal work conducted by the Panel to identify whether the current governance structure for the Panel was up-to-date given the pace of change in the energy market.

Consultation

A consultation paper was published on 26 April 2018 to facilitate discussion on the rule change request. Submissions closed on 24 May 2018. One submission to the consultation paper was received and is available below.

The AEMC considered that the rule change request should be subject to the expedited rule making process. Written objections to the expedited process closed on 10 May 2018. No objections were received.