Our responsibilities
Our responsibilities as a Distribution Network Service Provider (DNSP) include:
- Maintaining the safety and reliability of the network
- Connecting new customers
- Extending and upgrading the network to meet growth and expansion
- Maintaining street lighting for councils and government.
Customer connection services
Under the relevant energy laws, we must provide customer connection services to customers. Customer connection services typically include:
- Services relating to a new connection for the premises
- Services relating to change an existing connection for the premises
- Ongoing connection contracts, including (but not limited to), the initial energisation, de-energisation, or re-energisation of the premises.
Customer connection contracts
We are obliged to provide the relevant customer connection services in accordance with the relevant contracts. These contracts are discussed further for:
- Residential and small business customers - on our Residential and commercial connections web page
- Major customers - on the Major business connections web page. A major customer connection is defined as one that is for a Connection Asset Customer (CAC), Individually Calculated Customer (ICC) or an Embedded Generator (EG), as outlined in our AER Approved Pricing Proposal, typically:
- a load that exceeds 1,500 kVA or 1.5 MVA or where power usage is typically above 4 GWh per annum at a single site
- embedded generating units over 30 kVA (excluding micro embedded generating units).
New connections and connection alterations
A new connection is where no current physical link exists between our electricity distribution network and a customer's premises. This includes connections for newly built properties, new subdivisions and new unmetered supply (e.g. street lights).
A connection alteration is any change to the existing electricity connection. This includes the following types of changes to an existing connection:
- Additions
- Upgrades
- Extensions
- Any other kind of alteration, such as increasing from single phase to two or more phases, or moving from overhead to underground powerlines.
The processes for establishing new connections and altering existing connections are set out in Chapters 5 and 5A of the National Electricity Rules:
Chapter 5 predominantly applies to customers and generators who are each registered with the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO).
Chapter 5A predominantly applies to customers and generators who are not individually registered, this is most connection applicants.
These provisions broadly require distribution network service providers, such as us, to:
- Receive connection enquiries and applications from connection applicants in their relevant distribution area
- Review these request
- Make connection offers to those applicants to facilitate the new or altered connection.
Chapter 5A and 5 connection process
Further information on the Chapter 5A process for new connections and connection alterations for homes and businesses can be found on our Connections web pages.
For further information on the Chapter 5 and 5A process, as it broadly applies to those connections for which our Major Customer group is responsible, please refer to the Major business connections web page. This process will involve entering into a connection establishment contract to either establish or alter the connection (as relevant). These are generally individually negotiated.
Ongoing connection contracts
Once a new connection is established, an existing connection has been altered, or you are already connected to our network, the ongoing connection to the distribution network and the supply of electricity across the relevant connection point is dealt with under an ongoing connection contract.
If you do not have a negotiated ongoing connection contract in place, then one of the following contracts will generally apply to you:
- Deemed Standard Connection Contract for card-operated meters (PDF 287.0 kb)
- Deemed Standard Connection Contract (PDF 561.3 kb) (this is the default contract for all customers that do not have card-operated meters).
If you would like to negotiate different terms and conditions for your ongoing connection, you have the right to enter into a negotiated ongoing connection contract with us. If you do not do this, we will provide connection services to you under the applicable contract set out above.