Level 2 ASPs

Background

During the investigation of an ASP incident it was highlighted that Essential Energy need to raise awareness of what the Yellow Tape around specific poles represents.

The use of Yellow PVC Tape was introduced into Essential Energy’s practices at the start of 2017 to help identify a “Danger Tag” placed on Essential Energy’s Network.

A specific reference to the use of the yellow tape can be found in Essential Energy’s Electrical Safety Rules CEOP8030 – section 4.13.

4.13 Danger Tagging

‘Danger - do not operate’ tags must be attached to the controls of operable electrical apparatus to warn persons against inadvertent or unauthorised operation (that would endanger the safety of persons or the reliability and quality of supply) unless attachment to the controls is impractical. In such instances danger tags must be attached in the next best locations to affect the warning.

Danger tags associated with poles shall be attached using high visibility yellow PVC tape. Multiple danger tags can be applied with a single tape.

Danger tags are also used to secure a customer’s installation in accordance with CEOP2018 – Polarity and Neutral Identification: Testing. ASP’s or CSP’s utilising an alternate industry standard may use alternate methods to secure a customer’s installation.

‘Danger - do not operate’ tags must only be installed, altered or removed by authorised persons.

‘Danger - do not operate’ tags must also be fitted to unserviceable equipment to warn against inadvertent energisation.

Persons shall not remove or alter in any way applied danger tags without consulting the System Operator or person who attached the danger tag.

What do you need to do?

1. Ensure you always look at the most recent version of the Electrical Safety Rules 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?

From 1 July 2019, the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) introduced new regulatory charges for Ancillary Network Services. As an Accredited Service Provider (ASP), Authorised Person (AUP) or Electrical Contractor (EC), you would be aware of the current Ancillary Network Services charges applicable to services you provide to your customers.

The AER has approved the new regulatory charges for Essential Energy’s Ancillary Network Services to be implemented from 1 July 2020.

You can read more about Essential Energy’s pricing for Ancillary Network on our website at: Essential Energy > Our Network > Network Pricing and Regulatory Reporting > Network Pricing.

What do you need to do?

1. Review the 2020-21 Pricing Schedules for Ancillary Network Services available on the Essential Energy website
2. Accredited Service Providers, Authorised Persons and Electrical Contractors should consider pricing changes when preparing quotations for customers regarding future work
3. 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 committed to providing customers who wish to install low-voltage embedded generation access to the network where it does not compromise quality, safety and reliability of supply to other network users.

To facilitate this, we have revised our assessment criteria for connection of embedded generators to the low-voltage network.

Effective Monday 15 June 2020 our revised criteria requires that voltage rise on Service Mains is maintained within 1% (in accordance with clauses '1.12.3.4' & '8.6.13' of the NSW Service Installation Rules). This will enable Essential Energy to maintain voltage at the point of connection at 253V.

Exemptions

Application of exemption clause '8.6.13.1' will not be accepted when it results in an increase of voltage on the Service Mains greater than 1%. We will consider exemption where combined voltage in the Consumer Mains and Sub Mains is limited to 2% (as per clause '3.3.3' of AS/NZS4777.1-2016).

Alternative compliance mechanisms may include applicants proposing Service Mains augmentation or imposing export limits to their generator systems in order to maintain the voltage rise within the Service Mains to 1% (as per clause '8.6.3' of the NSW Service Installation Rules, and noting that export limits will not impose a limit on the capacity of generator systems for self-consumption).

At this time, the standing automatic approval for energy export of 5kW per connection point for urban, and 3kW per connection point for rural customers remains in place.

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.

Background

Following the initial feedback we received from ASPs and internal stakeholders, Essential Energy has significantly amended CEOP2015 General Terms and Conditions for Contestable Works.

The document has been renamed CEOP2015 Contestable Work Guidelines and the revised version and a content variation document are available on the Document Library .

Seeking Feedback

We are now seeking your further input to ensure that the updated document is easy to use and has the information you require to undertake contestable work on or near our network. A review and feedback form are available in the information folder on Essential Engagement.

Please review the updated document and send your suggestions and feedback to aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au by 31 August 2020. This information will then be reviewed and, where practical, incorporated into the next version.

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

Background

The NSW Service and Installation Rules stipulate that low voltage connections greater than 100 Amps must be reviewed by the electricity distributor.

To facilitate compliance and ensure consistency, Essential Energy is centralising our review process.

What is changing?

From today, all connection applications for low voltage customer switchboards with ratings of more than 100 Amps per phase (new/modified and with or without CT metering) are to be submitted with a proposed load, single line diagram and power factor correction details (if applicable), and a completed “Switch Board Compliance Statement”, CEOF7819 can be found on the Document Library.

All requests must be submitted via switchboard.review@essentialenergy.com.au, using the standard naming convention – Address_Customer Name_Submitting Company Name_Submission Version (Example - 2 Southern Cross Dr Ballina_ Marelex_V1).

Following receipt of your submission, Essential Energy will assess the documentation and respond as ‘appears compliant’ or if non-compliant, as ‘rejected’.

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

As part of Essential Energy’s commitment to continuous improvement, we are seeking feedback from our customers and business partners about how easy we are to do business with.

Feedback received from ASPs and Electrical Contractors to date has assisted us in ensuring that the capabilities and quality of our products and services are meeting your expectations now and into the future.

Over the next few weeks, a representative from Woolcott Research & Engagement may contact you to participate in a survey that will assess your satisfaction with our service delivery and operational performance. Your input is needed to help Essential Energy optimise customer outcomes and ensure our operations are aligned to your needs.

Further Information

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

Background

The 2019/2020 bushfire season was unprecedented. Across NSW 2,439 homes and more than 6,500 buildings have been lost, possibly up to a billion wildlife perished and, tragically, 34 people lost their lives.

More than 104,000 Essential Energy customers had their power supply impacted by fires over this time, with our teams replacing 3,200 poles, 4,500 cross arms and using over 430,000 materials to make repairs.

The devastating event will never be forgotten with the priority now on helping those impacted. To assist bushfire-affected customers Essential Energy is providing a reimbursement for power supply connection.

When assisting a bushfire-affected customer to connect to Essential Energy’s network, please assist us with connection application and reimbursement processing by taking the following steps:

• submit an Application for Low Voltage Connection, stating on it that the application is for a ‘Rural New Connection’ (even if the connection is for an urban area), and
• note in the comment section that this is for a bushfire-affected customer.

Please provide as much information as possible to assist us in reviewing and processing the application. If possible, also provide photos and / or sketches of the existing and future sites.

The Briefing on Connections for Bushfire-Affected Customers under Information on Essential Engagement will provide more information on connection application and customer reimbursement processes.

What do you need to do?

1. Review the Briefing document '20200512 - Connections for Bushfire-Affected Customers' 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 ancillary.services@essentialenergy.com.au

What is happening?

The Electrical Safety Office (ESO) has completed a minor review and update of CEOP8030 Electrical Safety Rules that is now available on Essential Energy’s Document Library as Issue 17. Details of the changes are listed in the revisions section of the document.

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?

From 1 July 2019, the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) introduced new regulatory charges for Ancillary Network Services. As an Accredited Service Provider (ASP), Authorised Person (AUP) or Electrical Contractor (EC), you would be aware of the current Ancillary Network Services charges applicable to services you provide to your customers.

Effective 1 July 2020, there will be a price increase of approximately 2.6 per cent on all Ancillary Network Services.

You can read more about Essential Energy’s draft pricing for Ancillary Network on our website at: Essential Energy > Our Network > Network Pricing and Regulatory report > Network Pricing. Additional information will be made available once the 2020-21 pricing schedules have been finalised and approved by the AER.

What do you need to do?

1. Review the 2020-21 ‘draft’ Pricing Schedules for Ancillary Network Services available on the Essential Energy website
2. Accredited Service Providers, Authorised Persons and Electrical Contractors should consider pricing changes when preparing quotations for customers regarding future work
3. Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.

Further Information

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

The situation with Coronavirus (COVID-19) is an unprecedented global and national health crisis.

As mentioned previously, Essential Energy has enacted its Pandemic Management Plan and established a Pandemic Preparedness Team (PPT) to proactively manage our organisational response.

To assist Essential Energy’s response to the COVID-19 crisis we have developed critical controls to minimise the risk of exposure to COVID-19 when interacting with third party associates in warehouse and store locations.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the necessary controls put in place may limit Essential Energys warehouses’ ability to provide sales service to Accredited Service Providers. This will present the following constraints on the sales process:

• Order Processing: please provide the outage date when placing orders for Planned Outages which are deemed High Priority – a member of our External Sales team will contact you to discuss restrictions prior to processing the order.
• Cancelled Orders: if an outage is cancelled you will be unable to return products to Essential Energy’s warehouses.
• Quotes: will be processed as normal, lead time may not be available for items not in stock, this will depend on the supplier and the precautions they have in place for supplying of items. We can’t guarantee the shipments from our suppliers.
• Direct Delivery Orders/ Drop Ship Orders: will be placed on supplier’s, with the delivery date confirmed when the order is acknowledged by the supplier. This will depend on the supplier and the precautions they have in place for supplying of items under COVID-19.
• Pick-up from Warehouse Locations: protocol must be followed strictly - saved under documents on Essential Engagement.

Due of the constraints above we encourage our ASP Partners to engage their upstream suppliers directly for material orders.

If you require any further information or assistance, please email external.sales@essentialenergy.com.au.