1. Pursuant to section 38(3)(b) of the Electricity Industry Act 2010, the Electricity Authority ("Authority") gives notice of the making of the Electricity Industry Participation (Customer Compensation Schemes) Code Amendment 2011.
2. The amendment comes into force on 1 April 2011.
3. The amendment inserts a new subpart 4 into Part 9 of the Electricity Industry Participation Code 2010 ("Code"), which requires each retailer to operate a customer compensation scheme. Under the new subpart:
(a) each retailer must have a customer compensation scheme that complies with the default requirements, and may also have additional schemes;
(b) a retailer’s qualifying customers are covered by
the retailer’s default compensation scheme unless
a qualifying customer elects to be covered by an additional compensation scheme;
(c) each retailer must compensate its qualifying customers under its customer compensation schemes during periods when an electricity conservation campaign is in force;
(d) the minimum weekly amount of compensation to be paid under a default scheme will be determined by the Authority; and
(e) retailers must provide a declaration that they are complying with the requirements of subpart 4,
and retailers’ compliance can be audited at the Authority’s request.
4. A copy of the amendment and the Code is available on the Authority’s website
www.ea.govt.nz/act-code-regs/code-regs/the-code/
5. A copy of the amendment and the Code may also be inspected free of charge or purchased from the Electricity Authority, Level 7, ASB Bank Tower, 2 Hunter Street, Wellington.
Dated at Wellington this 23rd day of February 2011.
DR THOMAS BRENT LAYTON, Chairperson, Electricity Authority.