Electricity and gas | Essential Services Commission

Ferguson Wind Farm Pty Ltd - electricity generation and sale licence

On 30 October 2023, Ferguson Wind Farm Pty Ltd (ACN 608 631 321) applied for a licence to generate electricity for supply or sale, and to sell electricity under section 18 of the Electricity Industry Act 2000 (Vic).

Consultation on the licence application closed on 27 November 2023. We did not receive any submissions.

We granted the licence on 13 February 2024.

Sector

Electricity and gas

Date

Consultation ends 27 November 2023

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

27 October 2023

AGL pays $799,656 in penalties over allegedly miscalculating mandatory customer ‘best offer’ energy plan information

AGL Sales Pty Ltd (AGL) has paid a total of $799,656 in penalties after allegedly failing to calculate its ‘deemed best offer check’ in line with the prescribed formula for 22 customers over the period March to June 2022.

A gavel and justice scale at the front with a woman in the background.

Media releases

05 October 2023

Red Energy pays $254,436 in penalties over alleged breaches of customer ‘best offer – could you save money on another plan’ rules

Red Energy Pty Ltd (Red Energy) has paid $254,436 in penalties for allegedly communicating incorrect best offer information to 30,982 customers, including customers who were on concessions and payment assistance, over a two-week period in 2022. Red Energy also allegedly failed to provide 15 customers with any best offer information on their bills within prescribed timeframes, over a period of three years (2019-2022).

Media releases

03 October 2023

AGL pays $73,968 in penalties for allegedly wrongfully disconnecting a customer experiencing payment difficulty

AGL Sales Pty Ltd (AGL) has paid $73,968 in penalties for allegedly wrongfully disconnecting a customer for non-payment of electricity bills after it failed to apply an approved government bill relief credit to the customer’s arrears.

Media releases

28 November 2023

Energy bill help on the rise – more households access payment assistance under Victoria’s energy consumer protections framework

A record number of Victorian households accessed tailored payment assistance in 2022-23 according to the latest Victorian Energy Market Report, published today by the Essential Services Commission.

Media releases

26 September 2023

Report shows Victorians missed out on millions of dollars in energy bill savings last financial year

Victorian households could have saved an estimated $191 million on electricity bills and $89 million on gas bills last financial year if they had been on their retailer’s best offer, according to data from the Essential Services Commission’s latest Victorian Energy Market Report.

Revoking the Electricity System Code

Overview

Following a review, the Electricity System Code was revoked on 31 May 2024 to streamline obligations and reduce complexity of Victoria’s energy regulatory framework.

The Electricity System Code was a regulatory instrument established in 2000 that contained obligations for Victorian electricity transmission and distribution businesses. The review found the code's obligations overlapped significantly with the National Electricity Rules and the National Electricity Law.

For more details on our review and final decision, please view the Resources tab.

Changes to electricity transmission licences

The electricity transmission licences were reviewed as part of the Electricity System Code Revocation. The Commission varied the electricity transmission licences to remove redundant or obsolete licence conditions and align the licences with our codes or practice and our enforcement framework. For more details on our review and final decision, please view the Resources tab.

Our final decision

02 April 2024

Revoking the Electricity System Code: Final Decision

PDF Version

(pdf, 207.94 KB)

02 April 2024

Revoking the Electricity System Code: Final Decision

Microsoft Word Version

(docx, 128.36 KB)

03 October 2024

Electricity Transmission Licence Variation: Final Decision

Microsoft Word Version

(docx, 114.22 KB)

03 October 2024

Electricity Transmission Licence Variation: Final Decision

PDF Version

(pdf, 428.61 KB)

Public engagement summary

02 April 2024

Public Engagement Summary - Revoking the Electricity System Code

PDF Version

(pdf, 370.31 KB)

02 April 2024

Public Engagement Summary - Revoking the Electricity System Code

Microsoft Word Version

(docx, 68.78 KB)

Sector

Electricity and gas

Date

Consultation closed 9 November 2023

An image showing a transmission tower backlit by the sun.

News update

28 September 2023

Consultation opens for revocation of Electricity System Code

The state energy regulator is inviting feedback on proposed administrative changes on obligations and licence conditions for electricity transmission companies operating in Victoria.

Girgarre Solar Pty Ltd as trustee for the Girgarre Solar Trust - electricity generation licence

Licence granted

Girgarre Solar Pty Ltd as trustee for the Girgarre Solar Trust (formerly Girgarre Solar Farm Pty Ltd as trustee for the Girgarre Solar Farm Trust) was granted an electricity generation licence on 22 November 2023.

Licence varied

This licence was last varied on 7 January 2025.

The licence can be accessed via the resources tab.

Sector

Electricity and gas

Payment difficulty framework

The payment difficulty framework is a set of energy rules to better protect and support residential customers that are anticipating or facing payment difficulty.

The framework's purpose is to:

help residential customers avoid getting into debt with their retailer
make it easier for residential customers to pay for their ongoing energy use, repay their debt when they have missed a bill and lower their energy costs
ensure residential customers are only disconnected for non-payment of a bill as a measure of last resort.

The payment difficulty framework is outlined in Part 6 'Assistance for residential customers anticipating or facing payment difficulties' of the Energy Retail Code of Practice.

Payment difficulty framework guideline

In July 2024, we released the payment difficulty framework guideline to assist energy retailers and exempt electricity sellers meet their obligations under the framework. The guideline specifies required forms of assistance and provides case studies and best practice examples.

The guideline was developed as part of our 'Getting to fair' strategy and follows our payment difficulty framework implementation review in 2021. It also consolidates and replaces guidance notes that we previously issued.

24 July 2024

Payment difficulty framework guideline

PDF version

(pdf, 509.34 KB)

24 July 2024

Payment difficulty framework guideline

Word version

(docx, 160.72 KB)

Background

The payment difficulty framework was developed in 2017 in response to the high numbers of residential customers being disconnected for non-payment.

In 2019, we updated the energy rules and introduced the payment difficulty framework to better protect residential customers that are anticipating or facing payment difficulty. The updates took effect on 1 January 2019 and are reflected in Part 6 of the Energy Retail Code of Practice .

In February 2019, we audited retailers’ websites to ensure they included information for customers on their entitlements to assistance.

In 2021, we conducted a review of how energy retailers were implementing the payment difficulty framework. We found that the framework delivers positive outcomes for customers when it is implemented effectively. However, we also identified areas where implementation could be improved for the mutual benefit of customers and retailers.

In the same year, we launched our 'Getting to fair' strategy to address consumers' experience of vulnerability and break down barriers to essential services. Both the framework and guideline align with the strategy's purpose to support consumers experiencing vulnerability.