Ensure you have allocated enough time and resources to planned outages to avoid overrun

What is happening?

Essential Energy has observed an increase in planned outages extending beyond the approved outage timeframe. Outage overruns have a direct impact on customers, businesses, and Essential Energy’s operational and regulatory obligations.

Level 1 Accredited Service Providers (ASPs) are reminded that it is their responsibility to adequately resource, plan and deliver all works within the approved outage timeframe.

Essential Energy’s Level 1 ASP Agreement and supporting policies outline the following outage requirements:

• Only the approved scope of work detailed in the outage request and access permit may be carried out during an outage.
• Any additional or out of scope work must not be undertaken without prior approval from Essential Energy (including the issuer of the access permit and System Control, where applicable).
• Where an ASP becomes aware that an outage is likely to exceed the approved timeframe, early notification to the Essential Energy’s representative is required.

Although Essential Energy recognises that unexpected problems can occur, frequent or preventable outage overruns are considered unacceptable.

Consequences of Outage Overruns

Where an outage overrun is determined to be attributable to the ASP (including inadequate planning, resourcing, or undertaking unauthorised additional works), Essential Energy may apply one or more of the following actions:

• Recovery of additional costs incurred by Essential Energy as a result of the overrun, which could also include investigation costs.
• Issuing of a non-compliance under the Contestable Works framework.
• Reduced outage timeframes approved for future works.
• Review or suspension of ASP authorisation to undertake contestable works on Essential Energy’s network.

What do you need to do?

1. Review supporting policies, CEOP2045 - Division Procedure: Access Permit and CEOP2015 - Division Procedure: Contestable Works Guidelines (Terms and Conditions for Contestable Works) available on the Document Library.
2. Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.

Further Information

If you need further information, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au.