1. This notice of a recommendation and assessment concerning the Electricity Governance (Security of Supply) Regulations 2008 (“Regulations”), Regulation Amendment Proposal No. 72, is issued by the Electricity Commission (“Commission”), pursuant to section 172E(3)(a)(iii) of the Electricity Act 1992 (“Act”).
2. Section 172E(3)(a)(iii) of the Act provides that, where regulations have been made in reliance upon the urgency provisions in section 172E(3) of the Act, and where the Commission makes a recommendation to the Minister of Energy (“Minister”) to revoke, replace, or amend those regulations in accordance with section 172E(3)(a)(ii) of the Act, the Commission must, no later than 10 working days after making the recommendation to the Minister, publicise the recommendation and the assessment completed under section 172F of the Act.
Recommendation
3. On 11 February 2009, the Commission recommended that the Regulations, made in reliance on the urgency provisions of section 172E(3) of the Act, be amended.
Recommended Amendment to the Regulations
4. The purpose of the Regulations is to provide for the management and co-ordination of outages for security of electricity supply purposes.
5. The key amendments recommended by the Commission are:
(a) specified participants identified by the Commission must:
(i) develop participant outage plans and submit them to the Commission for approval;
(ii) keep participant outage plans up to date; and
(iii) act in accordance with their participant outage plan when complying with a direction from the Commission; and
(b) the Rulings Panel is given jurisdiction to deal with any alleged breaches of the Regulations.
6. A copy of the Commission’s recommendation and assessment is available, at no cost, on the Commission’s website
http://www.electricitycommission.govt.nz/rulesand
regs/recommend
Dated at Wellington this 11th day of February 2009.
For and on behalf of the Electricity Commission:
HON DAVID CAYGILL, Chair.