What is Happening?

Essential Energy has formed a new, dedicated Connection Planning team to undertake technical assessment of low voltage connections applications. This will ensure we deliver consistent application of our Connection Policy requirements and improved technical support.

Key Connection Policy requirements

Essential Energy’s Connection Policy CEOP2513.06 is the determining document for capital contributions. It details the Urban and Rural thresholds for customer-funded and Essential Energy contributions for low voltage connections to our network.

In all cases, customers are responsible for funding connections requiring a dedicated high or low voltage network extension.

Essential Energy will only fund augmentation to the existing shared network where a low voltage connection is below the Urban or Rural thresholds described in CEOP2513.06.

Connection applicants, electrical contractors, Accredited Service Providers and consultants acting on behalf of connection applicants should make themselves familiar with the funding arrangements within the Policy.

The Connection Policy can be accessed from the Essential Energy website by all customers connecting to the Essential Energy network.

What do you need to do?

1. Review Essential Energy Connection Policy CEOP2513.06 located on Essential Energy’s website.
2. Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.

Further Information

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

A reminder that customer service is a shared responsibility

To help clarify any confusion around an ASPs customer service responsibilities when a network outage is requested, please note the following:

Essential Energy notifies all premises affected by an ASP requested outage on the ASPs behalf and manages enquiries raised by outage-impacted customers.

If Essential Energy is unable to resolve customer concerns, we pass them on to the ASP requesting the outage to manage and resolve.

ASPs are responsible for discussing or providing alternative options for customers, and for ensuring concerns are resolved promptly to avoid outage delays.

To ensure the network outage can proceed, you need to provide evidence to your Network Assurance Facilitator that customer concerns have been satisfactorily addressed.

Note 3 on the CEOF6013 Planned Outage, Connection or Live LV request form provides additional clarification.

What do you need to do?

1. Review the above communication and associated reference material on form CEOF6013 located on the Document Library.
2. Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation and your customers.

Further Information

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

What is Happening?

Essential Energy recognises the importance of continuous electricity supply to our customers particularly for Year 12 students who have or are about to commence HSC trial exams.

With the ever-changing COVID-19 situation, we recognise students across our distribution area may be completing HSC exams from locations other than school.

Essential Energy has written to Principals from all secondary schools in New South Wales, advising that we have implemented an additional process to minimise impacts on HSC students during their exams, if a planned power outage is required.

Essential Energy has developed an online form to help us work with affected students or schools. The form is available at essentialenergy.com.au/hsc. We are asking affected students or schools to complete this form as soon as they become aware of a planned outage impacting a trial exam or during the HSC exams.

The likelihood of an HSC student being affected by a planned power outage during a stay-at-home or self-isolate order would be rare. However, should a student be affected Essential Energy will strive to work with the student or school to minimise impacts of the planned power outage.

How can ASPs help?

We are asking ASPs to support affected HSC students and schools in minimising any disruption to students who may be impacted by an ASP planned power outage which coincides with either a trial or final HSC exam.

We draw your attention to the requirements of Essential Energy’s ‘Request for Planned Outage, Connection or Work Live LV Request’ form which requires third parties such as ASPs, to make reasonable attempts to address concerns raised by our customers.

Essential Energy will pass on to ASPs any request received from HSC students or schools in accordance with usual processes.

If an outage cannot be reasonably rescheduled, we recommend ASPs consider supplying and connecting a generator so that students can complete their important exams without any further disruptions.

What do you need to do?

Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.

Further Information

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

Update

In the three weeks since our last communication around COVID-19 compliance requirements, case numbers continue to increase significantly in the Greater Sydney area and there have been several cases in regional NSW due to workers and others travelling from Greater Sydney.

Our focus remains on protecting and promoting the health and well-being of our employees, our customers and communities, our contractors and suppliers. Where possible, we are minimising employee and Contract Service Provider (CSP) travel across our network and continuing to defer works involving travel to or from Greater Sydney. This is a practical measure to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 outbreaks in regional communities and resulting impacts on individuals and businesses.

We appreciate your compliance with the NSW Government’s current COVID-19 rules and restrictions to date and urge you to remain vigilant.

ASPs undertaking work involving travel to or from Greater Sydney should be aware of the associated risks and balance these against travel need and work urgency. This includes risks of planned work or travel being disrupted, in particular if employees or ASPs are required to isolate or are affected by changes to restrictions while they are away from home.

Remember, before you commence work on our network, you must provide evidence on site that the NSW Health requirements have been met.

If evidence of the requirements is not provided, Essential Energy has the right to cancel the outage.

Protocols when working with ASPs to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19

Risk-assessment of all planned outages and all work will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis to assess the risk it poses to the community, Essential Energy employees and ASPs. Additional controls such as site exclusion zones and PPE may be required, depending on the nature and location of the work.

The following measures will be followed by Essential Energy employees when required to engage with ASPs to undertake risk assessed planned and/or emergency work while the COVID-19 emergency is active in the community.

• When making a booking or preparing to meet with ASPs on site, contact will be made to the ASP by phone to discuss what protocols are in place with the respective ASP.
• Essential Energy if satisfied that the ASP are working to the same protocols as set out by the Federal and State Government advice and guidelines with regards to social distancing measures and that there are no confirmed or suspected COVOD-19 cases being managed directly with the individual/s that you will be engaging with on site.
• When on site, Essential Energy will ensure the relevant risk assessment process is applied by asking the ASP if anyone is a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19. If there are any suspected or known cases of the individual/s, work will be ceased and escalate within Essential Energy.
• If the risk assessment allows work to proceed and there is an unavoidable document handling scenario as an exception, handling must be performed whilst maintaining minimum social distancing and wearing disposable gloves. Gloves must be disposed of immediately after use.

What do you need to do?

Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.

Further Information

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

What is Happening?

In response to the current COVID-19 outbreak, some Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) are making changes to annual refresher training for ASPs in our area. They include:

• immediate pause on training delivery until a later date
• reduced training (knowledge only, but no practical) or
• reduced class sizes to meet social distancing requirements.

These changes may impact your ability to satisfy annual training requirements to maintain your authorisation.

Essential Energy has an expectation that companies will make all reasonable endeavours to have workers attend refresher training at, or prior to, the expiry of their training. However, we understand that training through your preferred supplier may not be an option at this time.

Where this is not reasonably possible, as a fall-back option Essential Energy will temporarily extend the current one-month grace period to three months across all statutory training.

Please note that workers must have at least completed knowledge-only training with their RTO, with the expectation that a practical session will be undertaking before the three-month grace period ends.

What do you need to do?

Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.

Further Information

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

What is Happening?

Essential Energy is providing access to Network layouts and asset data for all our customers to help enable:

• Instant access to a range of overhead and underground network data
• Visibility of network routes with multiple base map functionality
• Supporting customers to self-serve the information they require and make informed choices.

Background

Access to Essential Energy’s Network layouts and associated data has been requested by numerous customers and organisations over the years. Specifically, there has been an ongoing need to enable self-service network information to Accredited Service Providers (ASPs) and Electrical Contractors (ECs) performing contestable works across the Essential Energy network. The NSW Independent Bushfire Enquiry also requires visibility of critical assets whereby “Fires Near Me” can be overlaid to enable real time risk mitigation.

What is it?

Access to the Network Information Portal will be available via Essential Energy’s Website. Upon accepting the Terms and Conditions you can simply start drilling into our network with standard search features. Specific network information is obtained by clicking on the asset to enable the creation of an email request. A demonstration video is available on our website showing how to navigate the portal and find/request the information you need.

Benefits

The Network Information Portal will help enable customers to make more informed choices whilst reducing internal workload that has traditionally serviced this need. Councils and other government organisations will benefit such as enabling desktop planning through to network visibility for critical asset protection.

The self-serve functionality provides ASPs and ECs with access to data such as pole, cable and conductor data, as well as network routes, enabling better informed customer conversations and reducing enquiries.

What happens next?

Following the Stage 1 Pilot programme, Stage 2 will provide additional enhancements and functionality which will be communicated once complete.

What do you need to do?

1. Watch the demonstration video and visit Network Information Portal via Essential Energy’s Website and start exploring our network.
2. Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.

Further Information

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

What is Happening?

As the COVID situation continues to evolve, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued assistance to help by complying with NSW Health requirements as well as supporting Essential Energy in our COVID response.

ASPs travelling from Greater Sydney to work on Essential Energy's network must adhere to the NSW Government’s current COVID-19 rules and restrictions.

Before you commence work on our network, you must provide evidence on site that the NSW Health requirements have been met.

If evidence of the requirements is not provided, Essential Energy has the right to cancel the outage.

What do you need to do?

Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.

Further Information

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

What is Happening?

An on-call crew were called to a wires down job and discovered a split round Low Voltage (LV) pillar box exposing live LV conductors

Customers onsite reported two children had received electric shocks while playing near the infrastructure. Parents of children were advised to seek medical attention for their children.

Essential Energy workers immediately made safe at the work site and placed a new pillar lid over the top of the damaged pillar and glued in place as a temporary repair.

What do you need to do?

1. Download and review Safety Brief – SB-985_ASP Damaged Split Round Pillar Exposing Live Low Voltage Conductors located on the Document Library and Essential Engagement.
2. Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.

Further Information

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

What is Happening?

In the most recent update to the Standard Contestable (Approved) Material List CEOM7004, a number of items have been removed. CLAH (Current Limiting Arcing Horns) surge arresters have been discontinued by the manufacturer and following a review of their requirement, CLAH surge arresters are to be withdrawn from Essential Energy Covered Conductor Thick (CCT) constructions.

Other associated equipment used in conjunction with CLAH surge arresters will also be withdrawn. The CCT construction drawings in Section CEOM7303 of the Overhead Construction Manual have been updated to reflect the changes.

The Standard Contestable (Approved) Material List CEOM7004 has also been updated and the associated material has been removed. For all other updates please make yourself familiar with Issue 55 of the AML.

What do you need to do?

1. Review the above construction drawings and the AML 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.

What is Happening?

To enable Essential Energy to transition to a new, upgraded financial system in mid-August 2021, we need to pause the issuing of invoices from Essential Energy between 21 July and 16 August 2021.

Invoices will recommence on 16 August 2021 with Essential Energy’s new bank account details and will be sent via your company’s nominated email address listed in our system. To ensure we have the correct email address for your company, please email accounts.receivable@essentialenergy.com.au with your company name and preferred email address.

What do you need to do?

1. Email accounts.receivable@essentialenergy.com.au with your company name and preferred email address.
2. Ensure your Essential Energy’s new bank details are updated in your system from 16 August 2021 (new details can be found on invoices issued from this date).
3. All invoices will pause between 21 July 2021 and 16 August 2021.
4. Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.

Further Information

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