This draft report sets out the Commission’s emerging thinking and draft recommendations to enable distribution businesses to provide stand-alone power systems to their existing customers where it is economically efficient (for example, in remote locations), while maintaining appropriate consumer protections and service standards.

In October 2016, the NSW government accepted an unsolicited proposal from IFM Investors and AustralianSuper to lease 50.4 per cent of Ausgrid for 99 years. The deal followed the federal government’s rejection of two bids from foreign investors, for national security reasons. This performance audit has found shortcomings in the unsolicited proposal process.

This options paper sets out different ways for the Australian Energy Market Operator to procure ‘standby’ electricity reserves under the Reliability and Emergency Reserve Trader (RERT) when a supply shortfall is forecast.

This review, requested by the COAG Energy Council, will look at the law and rule changes required to allow stand-alone power systems (SAPS) to be used where it is economically efficient to do so, while maintaining appropriate consumer protections and service standards.

This paper argues that evidence is growing that highly flexible electricity systems could deliver lower whole-system costs, especially given the dramatic projected falls in solar and wind power costs by 2030.