We have made a new Electricity Distribution Code of Practice.
Making the Electricity Distribution Code of Practice
- Consultation paper29 March 2022
- Stakeholder forum3 May 2022
- Consultation closed17 May 2022
- Final decision11 August 2022
- New Electricity Distribution Code of Practice takes effect1 October 2022
Overview
Overview
As part of its Energy Fairness Plan commitments, the Victorian Government reformed the enforcement framework that we operate under. To align with this new framework our energy codes have transitioned to to ‘codes of practice’.
The new enforcement framework was implemented via the Essential Services Commission (Compliance and Enforcement Powers) Amendment Act 2021 (Compliance and Enforcement Act).
The Compliance and Enforcement Act commenced on 1 December 2021 and resulted in our existing energy codes being deemed as ‘codes of practice’. However, for the provisions of those instruments to be fully enforced through the new enforcement framework, we are undertaking a further step of reviewing each code.
We consulted on the proposed new Electricity Distribution Code of Practice in late March 2022. In August 2022 we published a final decision. The new Electricity Distribution Code of Practice will take effect on 1 October 2022.
View the final Electricity Distribution Code of Practice
Compliance and Performance Reporting obligations
Distributors are required to report to the comission in accordance with the Compliance and Performance Reporting Guideline (version 7). Annex E to the final decision sets out the equivalent clauses in the new Electricity Distribution Code of Practice.
We intend to conduct further consultation on distributors’ reporting obligations under the new Electricity Distribution Code of Practice, and to conclude such process by the end of 2022.
Resources
Final Electricity Distribution Code of Practice
Feedback on the draft Electricity Distribution Code of Practice
We released the draft Electricity Distribution Code of Practice for public consultation on 29 March 2022. Consultation ran until 17 April.
We also held a stakeholder information session on 3 May with over 40 attendees.
We received six submissions to the draft Electricity Distribution Code of Practice. Overall, submissions were supportive of the need to consolidate olibgations in the new code of practice, to remove redundant provisions and to repeal guidelines. Stakeholders generally acknowledged the outcome will be a clearer regulatory framework which will benefit Victorian electricity consumers and distributors.
Submissions covered a number of topics, including:
- receipt of communications and notices timeframe
- the proposed Guaranteed Service Level (GSL) exemption process
- voltage variation limits
- specification of civil penalty requirements
- the transposition of aspects of Guideline 14 into the code
- licence variations
- 'best endeavours' obligations.
We considered stakeholder feedback in forming our final decision. We have reviewed areas where our proposed drafting might have had unintended consequences and made some changes to the final Electricity Distribution Code of Practice to improve clarity. The vast majority of obligations remain substantively unaltered. We have also made some changes to correct minor typographical errors.
The final Electricity Distribution Code of Practice is largely the same as the draft code we consulted on.