NSW Consumer Trustee

As the Consumer Trustee for the NSW Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap, ASL acts independently and in the long-term financial interests of NSW electricity consumers to improve the affordability, reliability, security and sustainability of electricity supply.

Our responsibilities as Consumer Trustee include:

  • Long-term system planning – we develop the Infrastructure Investment Objectives Report (IIO), every two years. This is the central planning document for the Roadmap, outlining a 20-year development pathway for NSW electricity infrastructure and a 10-year tender plan to meet it.
  • Designing and conducting competitive tenders to accelerate the development of generation, storage and firming projects with the greatest potential to help the state meet its future needs and deliver value for NSW electricity consumers.
  • Authorise renewable energy zone network infrastructure projects – we provide an independent check on project recommendations provided by EnergyCo.
  • Appointing a Financial Trustee that administers the Scheme Financial Vehicle.

As the Consumer Trustee, ASL acts in the long-term financial interests of NSW consumers by ensuring that the benefits of energy infrastructure investment under the Roadmap exceed the costs to consumers. This principle guides critical decisions about the size and timing of competitive tenders for LTESAs, as well as decisions regarding Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) network infrastructure.

To find out more about the NSW Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap, please head to the NSW Government website

 

 

 

 

Our role on the Capacity Investment Scheme

The CIS is a priority reform to support reliability under the National Energy Transformation Partnership (NETP) with the Australian and State Governments and Territories.

The CIS is a national program to encourage new investment in renewable capacity, such as wind and solar, as well as clean dispatchable capacity, such as battery storage.

It aims to help build a more reliable, affordable, and low-emissions energy system for all Australians.

The CIS involves the Australian Government seeking competitive tender bids for renewable capacity and clean dispatchable capacity projects to:

  • deliver an additional 32 GW of capacity by 2030
  • fill expected reliability gaps as ageing coal power stations exit
  • deliver the Australian Government’s 82% renewable electricity by 2030 target.

AEMO has tasked ASL to support the roll-out of the CIS as an advisor and tender delivery partner, bringing together our expertise in energy market design, management, and tender procurement.

ASL is conducting the competitive tender process that will enable the Australian Government to determine which projects the scheme should support, commencing with the SA-VIC Tender, National Electricity Market (NEM) Tender 1, Tender 2 – Wholesale Electricity Market (WEM) Dispatchable tender, Tender 3 – NEM Dispatchable and Tender 4 – NEM Generation.

For a more comprehensive understanding of our role click here.  

CIS tenders are expected to be progressively rolled out from 2023 through to 2027 to meet reliability needs between FY26 and FY30.

To find out more about the Capacity Investment Scheme please head to the Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water website.

 

 

 

SA Scheme Administrator

ASL is the independent Scheme Administrator for the South Australian Firm Energy Reliability Mechanism (FERM). The FERM aims to provide long duration dispatchable capacity to ensure secure, reliable and affordable electricity supply for South Australia.

Securing this capacity is important as gas generators retire and more renewables enter the energy system. We do this by designing and running the competitive tender process for long-term support contracts for new infrastructure, as well as retaining existing firm capacity.

In exercising our duties as Scheme Administrator, ASL is required to act in the long-term financial interests of South Australian electricity consumers and act in a commercially reasonable and prudent way.

ASL is also required to appoint a Financial Vehicle, which will be the counterparty for FERM contracts. This process is now underway.

Our other duties include the establishment of governance and financial arrangements for FERM, development of a risk management framework to protect the long-term financial interests of South Australian electricity consumers in connection with the Financial Vehicle functions.