Submission to AEMC Review into extending the regulatory frameworks to hydrogen and renewable gases

PIAC made a submission to the Australian Energy Market Commission’s Draft Report ‘Extending the National Gas Regulatory Framework to Hydrogen Blends & Renewable Gases’ (the Draft). The Draft sought to update existing national gas and energy retail regulatory frameworks to include hydrogen and other gases, including blends.

PIAC strongly opposed extending the regulatory framework to include blends and natural gas equivalents. We argued that it is inappropriate for the regulatory framework to regard products that are not identical as ‘equivalent’ for purposes of regulation, particularly where they have materially different performance, cost, health, and climate characteristics.

We expressed concerns that the Draft could lead to material negative impact on efficiency, safety, affordability, sustainability, and health of the energy consumers rely on.