Electricity and gas | Essential Services Commission

An image showing large powerlines running across several large green paddocks.

Media releases

03 April 2020

New rules to modernise Victoria’s energy grid

Victoria’s Electricity Distribution Code has been updated to meet the future needs of the state’s energy grid and support customers with technologies such as solar power.

Media releases

31 March 2020

Disconnections down as energy reforms take effect

The state’s independent economic energy regulator says prices are remaining stable with disconnections falling and fewer discounts have conditions attached.

Media releases

27 March 2020

Safety net for Victorians suffering energy bill stress

The state’s energy regulator has reassured Victorians experiencing energy bill stress as a result of summer bushfires and the coronavirus outbreak that help is available.

Real Utilities Pty Ltd – Gas Retail Licence and Electricity Retail Licence

On 19 March 2020, Real Utilities Pty Ltd (ACN 150 290 814) applied for a licence to sell gas by retail under section 25 of the Gas Industry Act 2001 (Vic) and a licence to sell electricity by retail under section 18 of the Electricity Industry Act 2000 (Vic).

Consultation on the licence application closed on 16 April 2020. We did not receive any submissions.

We granted the licences on 21 October 2020. The licences were last varied on 22 June 2022 (with effect from 12 September 2022).

Sector

Electricity and gas

Date

Consultation closes 16 April 2020

An image showing a gavel resting in the forefront of the picture, while a set of hands writes on a piece of paper in the background.

Media releases

17 March 2020

Alinta Energy penalised for second time in two years

Alinta Energy has paid penalties totalling $280,000 for again allegedly using door-to-door sales agents to switch Victorians to new energy contracts without their consent.

Cherry Tree Wind Farm Pty Ltd – application for electricity generation and wholesale licence

Cherry Tree Wind Farm (ABN 30 134 444 947) applied for a licence under section 18 of the Electricity Industry Act 2000 (Vic) to generate electricity for supply or sale and to sell electricity by wholesale.

The applicant proposed to generate electricity using 16 wind turbines (total capacity 57.6MW) at Cherry Tree Range in Mitchell Shire located approximately 90km North-North East of Melbourne, Victoria.

We may grant or refuse to grant applications for any reason we consider appropriate having regard to our objectives under the Electricity Industry Act 2000 (Vic) and the Essential Services Commission Act 2001 (Vic).

On 22 April 2020 we granted the licence.

Sector

Electricity and gas

Date

Consultation closes 3 April 2020

An image of Essential Services Commissioner Kate Symons.

Staff articles

28 February 2020

Clear and fair contracts - rebuilding trust in the energy market - notes from the chair

Speech by Essential Services Commission chairperson Kate Symons at the media conference for the Ensuring Contracts are Clear and Fair final decision

Media releases

28 February 2020

Regulator puts end to ‘bait and switch’ energy deals

Energy companies will no longer be able to ‘bait and switch’ customers by offering very low prices only to increase the price within months following a rule change by the state’s energy regulator.

A photo of a house roof with solar panels on top

Media releases

25 February 2020

Increased solar uptake lowers minimum tariff

Falling market expectations of future energy prices based on an uptake of solar power has resulted in a lower minimum solar feed-in tariff for the next financial year.

Changes to the back-billing rules 2020

In response to a terms of reference from the Victorian Government, we have implemented code obligations on energy retailers and distributors to ensure that customers cannot be back-billed for more than four months when they are not at fault.

Previously, customers could be back-billed up to nine months by their retailer if they had been undercharged, unless the customer was at fault.

The final decision for this reform was released in July 2020, following a draft decision in February 2020.

The new four month limit on back-billing came into effect on 1 January 2021.

Key facts from our final decision

New back-billing rule for retailers

Retailers can only recover any amount undercharged in the four months before they notify the customer, unless the undercharging was a result of the customer’s fault or unlawful act or omission.

New back-billing rule for distributors

An electricity or gas distributor is not able to recover charges from a retailer if the retailer is not able to recover those charges from a customer.

However, a distributor can back-bill a retailer beyond four months when a retailer is at some fault for the undercharge (the retailer would be unable to recover more than four months of undercharged amounts from the customer in this situation).