Dundonnell Wind Farm Pty Ltd (ACN 133 651 019) 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). 

The application proposed to generate electricity at the Dundonnell wind farm located approximately 23 km north-east of Mortlake in Western Victoria.

Submissions on the application closed on 16 October 2019.

We granted an electricity generation and sale licence on 28 February 2020. 

We have made new rules that strengthen and clarify protections for Victorian customers who require life support equipment.

New protections for life support customers

These strengthened protections include:

• life support customers will receive protections once their retailer, distributor or embedded network is made aware of their needs
• energy businesses to provide more comprehensive information to life support customers about their rights, processes and energy businesses’ obligations to them
• customers who require gas to fuel their life support equipment will now receive the same protections as electricity customers
• energy businesses to follow robust processes to have accurate life support registers
• clearer processes from energy businesses when seeking medical confirmation from a customer
• clearer and robust processes to validly deregister a life support customer’s premises

These are in addition to existing critical protections that prevent Victorian life support customers from being disconnected by their energy business and require distributors to notify customers of a planned interruption.

These changes apply to all licensed energy businesses, such as electricity and gas retailers, and distributors as well as those who are exempt from holding an electricity licence such as embedded electricity network sellers and suppliers.

The changes will take effect from early 2020

For electricity distribution businesses and exempt persons, transitional arrangements will commence from 2 January 2020. The full framework for electricity businesses coming into effect from 3 February 2020.

For gas businesses, the transitional arrangements will commence on 3 February 2020. The full framework for gas businesses coming into effect on 1 July 2020.

Sustainable Energy Infrastructure Pty Ltd (ACN 625 686 651) applied for a licence to generate, supply, distribute, and sell electricity under section 18 of the Electricity Industry Act 2000 (Vic). 

We may grant or refuse to grant applications for any reason we consider appropriate having regard to our objectives under Electricity Industry Act 2000 (Vic) and the Essential Services Commission Act 2001 (Vic). 

Submissions on this licence application closed on 24 June 2019. 

We granted an electricity generation and sale licence on 14 May 2020.

The licence was revoked at the request of Sustainable Energy Infrastructure Pty Ltd on 31 January 2025.

Tango Energy Pty Ltd (ACN 155 908 839) applied for a licence to sell gas by retail in Victoria under section 25 of the Gas Industry Act 2001 (Vic) (GIA). 

We may grant or refuse to grant applications for any reason we consider appropriate having regard to the our objectives under the Gas Industry Act 2001 (Vic) and the Essential Services Commission Act 2001 (Vic).

On 26 June 2019 we granted the licence under the Gas Industry Act 2001 (Vic). On 20 April 2023, the legal name of the licensee was changed from Tango Energy Pty Ltd to Pacific Blue Retail Pty Ltd.

Commencement

1 January 2021: The ability for distributors to interrupt a customer's supply with less than four business days' notice subject to consent requirements. Transitional arrangements for the current guaranteed service level scheme commence. 

1 April 2021: New obligations on electricity retailers to provide better customer information to distributors.

1 July 2021: The new planned outage communication requirements and guaranteed service level scheme come into effect.

Consultation on our draft decision

Consultation on our draft decision closed on 2 July 2020.

As part of our consultation on our draft decision we met with:

• all five electricity distributors
• eight retailers
• two consumer groups
• and the Energy and Water Ombudsman (Victoria).  

We also held a stakeholder webinar to present what we heard during this consultation. The webinar was attended by 32 stakeholders including one member of the public and representatives from:

• all five electricity distributors
• 10 retailers
• four consumer groups
• Energy Safe Victoria
• the Energy and Water Ombudsman (Victoria)
• the Department of Environment, Land, Water and planning.

Much of the feedback focused on fine tuning and refining the proposed framework. Some of the key matters stakeholders raised were around the practicalities of implementing the reforms along with a customer centric approach. We considered this feedback in designing the final framework in a way that achieved the intent of our draft decisions while taking stakeholder views into account.

The key feedback on our proposals related to:

• requiring retailers to collect and share customer information, including email addresses and phone numbers, with distributors
• ensuring that retailers apply guaranteed service level payments to customer accounts in a timely manner
• requiring distributors to obtain explicit informed consent to provide customers with only electronic notification of planned supply outages
• ensuring distributors make guaranteed service level payments in a timely way
• making sure customers are notified about the cancellation of works in most circumstances
• notifying local communities about the potential for unplanned outages due to the annual compliance testing of bushfire safety equipment
• considering the commencement time frames for the new rules.

A more detailed summary of the feedback received can be downloaded below. The stakeholder webinar slides and recording can also be accessed below.

Enquiries can be sent to: edc.review@esc.vic.gov.au

Keep updated

The code has many different areas to consider. Throughout 2019-20 and beyond, we are engaging with many different stakeholders as we consider the matters outlined for review.

If you would like to receive direct updates and notifications about our project, please email edc.review@esc.vic.gov.au.

As part of our Electricity Distribution Code review 2019, we have reviewed the technical standards within the Electricity Distribution Code.

The technical standards of the code are reflective of an era when there was limited ways for customers to interact with the electricity network.

New energy technology such as solar generators and batteries are now making available choices for customers and how they could interact with the electricity network.

Our code review seeks the technical standards to remain fit for purpose in such an environment to cover areas such as: 

• voltage standards - technical parameters that govern the way electricity is supplied  
• harmonics - technical parameters that govern the distortion limits with the power supply
• negative sequence - technical parameter that govern the level of system imbalance
• power factor - a measure of the effective use of power.

Keep updated

The code has many different areas to consider. Throughout 2020 we will continue to engage with many different stakeholders as we consider the matters outlined for review.

If you would like to receive direct updates and notifications about our project, please email edc.review@esc.vic.gov.au.

We will continue the review of the Electricity Distribution Code

The electricity sector is undergoing transformation.

We will continue the code reviews after the review of technical standards and customer protections have been completed. The wider review may consider new developments in technologies and business services which may create values and opportunities for customers without eroding their protection and rights. 

Throughout 2019-20, we will be open to consultation and consider a range of code relevant matters which can promote the long term interests of Victorian.