Submission to AER Guidelines for Stand-Alone Power Systems Rule Change

PIAC made a submission to the AER’s draft updated guidelines to accommodate regulated stand-alone power systems (SAPS).

We provided feedback on Regulated investment Test for Distribution (RIT-D) threshold, market benefits, reliability outcomes, connection charge guidelines and distribution reliability measures guidelines, focussing on how to ensure guidelines prioritise consumer outcomes rather than processes. Most substantially we recommended revisions to the RIT-D threshold for fringe-of-grid network investments as the requirements of many network investments below the current RIT-D threshold ($6 million) at the fringe of the electricity grid could be more cost-effectively met with one or more SAPS.