COAG Consultation Regulation Impact Statement – Australian Energy Market Commission
On 26 September 2019, the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) released the draft rule determination for the National Electricity Amendment (Reducing customers’ switching times) Rule and National Energy Retail Amendment (Reducing customers’ switching times) Rule (draft determination) to create market processes that provide faster customer transfer process time and increase transparency and certainty within the customer transfer process. The AEMC has also released the corresponding Draft National Electricity Amendment (Reducing customers’ switching times) Rule 2019 and National Energy Retail Amendment (Reducing customers’ switching times) Rule 2019 for consultation.
The draft rule provides a faster transfer process by:
- Amending the National Electricity Rules (NER) to move the provisions regarding installation of replacement metering installation from the Market Settlement and Transfer Solution Procedures to the Meter Churn Procedures, where it more appropriately fits.
- Deleting a clause in the NER to facilitate the Australian Energy Market Operator's customer transfer high level design and facilitate a two-day customers transfer process, and further, to remove any ambiguity regarding metering coordinator appointments by the financially responsible market participant.
- Amending the National Energy Retail Rules’ model terms and conditions for standard retail contracts to clarify when a contract ends where a customer transfers to the same retailer's market retail contract, or to another retailer's standard or market retail contract.
The draft determination has been assessed by the Office of Best Practice Regulation as compliant with requirements for a Council of Australian Governments Consultation RIS.
Submissions are invited by close of business, 7 November 2019. More information on the consultation process, including how to make a submission, can be found here.
Please note: the draft determination is web accessible in PDF only and any accessibility queries should be directed to the Australian Energy Market Commission.