SA Power Networks 2020 reliability standards review
- Project Released: 7 Apr 2020
- Project Closes: Jun 2020
- Contact: Rowan McKeown
Overview
The Commission reviews the jurisdictional service standards that apply to SA Power Networks every five years, prior to the commencement of a new revenue regulation period. The Commission’s standards, established under the Electricity Act 1996, set reliability performance requirements for SA Power Networks.
This review established the reliability standards for SA Power Networks for the 2020-2025 period. The final standards were developed by considering the wide ranging views of stakeholders, including feedback collected through a customer survey. The Commission released its final decision in January 2019.
A further consultation process occurred in 2020 to address several methodological issues that were left open in the final decision. A paper explaining the changes to the regulatory instruments was released in June 2020.
Electricity Distribution Code EDC/13 and Electricity Guideline No. 1 G1/13 take effect from 1 July 2020.
Status
Current status is Final
- Initiate
- Submissions
- Draft
- Submissions
- Final
- Further info
- Submissions
- Final
Final
The Commission has finalised Electricity Distribution Code EDC/13 and Electricity Guideline G1/13, which will apply from 1 July 2020.
The final Code and Guideline reflect the SA Power Networks reliability standards review final decision, made in January 2019, and address several methodological issues that were left open at that time, as well as matters raised in consultation on drafts of the revised Code and Guideline.
In the final framework, network reliability targets are set using the average of ten years’ historical performance, in order to maintain the reliability outcomes experienced by customers.
Separate network restoration targets are set for the four feeder types (CBD, urban, rural short and rural long) that reflect when the majority of customers can expect to have supply restored following an interruption.
These targets have also been set as the average of ten years’ historical performance.
To assist with implementation of the street light GSL payment, new clauses have been added to the Code to allow that SA Power Networks may stop taking reports of street light faults from any person who has made reports that are not ‘in good faith’, for a period of up to 12 months. This will allow SA Power Networks to manage cases such as those where a person has made an excessive number of incorrect reports in a six month period, or has deliberately caused damage to a street light.
SA Power Networks will be required to provide detailed performance data annually, rather than quarterly, as was proposed in the draft Guideline. This will support the Commission’s ongoing analysis of SA Power Networks’ performance, and is in addition to current quarterly and annual performance reporting requirements.
No material variations have been made to the Code’s provisions for the connection of embedded generation. The Commission is proposing to review those provisions in late 2020. This approach is supported by Regulator, and the review will consider changes in national and State regulation of embedded generation.