What is happening?

Essential Energy has an External Sales Department where you can purchase equipment, materials and hardware from the CEOM7004 - Approved Materials List for use only on Essential Energy's network.

We would like to provide an update, unfortunately our suppliers are currently facing long lead times. Please refer to the communications sent out on 29 January 2026, External Sales experiencing long lead times.

Current Lead Times

Standard orders have an approximate 4 week lead time. You will be advised if any items are on back order, including an estimated time of arrival.

Warehouse Collection Locations

Accredited Service Providers (ASPs) order collections are only available from the following locations:

• Wagga Wagga Warehouse - 59–87 Hammond Avenue Wagga Wagga NSW 2650
• Grafton Warehouse - 187 Lawrence Road Grafton NSW 2460

Note: It is the ASPs responsibility to organise transport for order collection. Please ensure appropriate arrangements are made prior to collection.

Further Information

If you need further information in relation to lead times, please email external.sales@essentialenergy.com.au.

What is happening?

The latest IdentityONE update is now available in the Apple App Store. It includes bug fixes that will improve detection of existing credentials.

There is no change for Android users.

If you have an iPhone or iPad, please go to the Apple App Store and manually update the IdentityONE mobile application to the latest version 2.1.33, as seen in the image.

What do you need to do?

1. If you have an apple device, ensure you are on the latest version of IdentiyONE.
2. Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.

Further Information

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

Construction News Engineering

The latest issue of Essential Energy CN26-04 CEOM7098 Clarification of Underground Cable Derating Requirements is now available, click here to view.

What do you need to do?

1. Please read and familiarise yourself with the content.
2. Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.

Further Information

If you need further information, please contact Sujay Orpe or Peter Couch via email.

Certification Audit Tool

Essential Energy have developed a Certification Audit Tool to support a more consistent, transparent, and efficient approach to reviewing design submissions as part of the certification process. The tool provides customers and reviewers a structured, repeatable method for assessing design compliance.

The Certification Audit Tool is available on the Essential Connections Support Page and can be accessed by searching “Audit” or by following the link.

The Certification Audit Tool is currently under development and refinement. Version v1.0 has been prepared to support initial use and feedback.

The tool will be used in its current format for project assessment; however, no score will be generated. Assessment records will be used to carefully calibrate the tool to ensure that scoring for each project is an accurate representation of the design submissions received. When scoring functionality has been enabled, an updated version of the tool will be provided.

What do you need to do?

1. Download a copy of the Certification Audit Tool from the Essential Connections Support Page.
2. Incorporate the use of this tool into your Quality Assurance processes for all current and future contestable designs.
3. Provide any feedback via email to aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au.
4. Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.

Further Information

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

Construction News Engineering

The latest issue of Essential Energy Construction News 26-03 CEOM7103.10 Pole Footings Update is now available, click here to view.

What do you need to do?

1. Please read and familiarise yourself with the content.
2. Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.

Further Information

If you need further information, please contact Stephen Palmer or Andrew Pratt via email.

What is happening?

Essential Energy has been advised by the ASP Scheme (Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water) will be introducing a new Accredited Service Provider (ASP) online Platform effective from the 16 March 2026.

What you need to do?

1. For more information, please refer to the website.
2. Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.

Further Information

If you need further information, please email asp.scheme@planning.nsw.gov.au.

What is happening?

Essential Energy has introduced CECG6923 - Safety in Design Guidelines for Contestable Works, establishing the minimum requirements for applying Safety in Design processes in all contestable design activities completed on Essential Energy’s network. The guideline has been developed to support designers in implementing their Safety in Design obligations under legislative requirements.

The guideline is available on Essential Energy’s Document Library. A Safety in Design Register template has also been developed and is available on the Essential Connections Support Page and can be accessed by searching “Safety in Design” or by following the link.

The guideline provides designers with a structured, lifecycle‑focused approach to identifying, assessing, and managing hazards associated with electrical infrastructure design. It outlines Safety in Design principles and methodologies, duty holder responsibilities under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025.

These guidelines should now be applied to all contestable designs. Designers shall ensure risks are eliminated, or where elimination is not reasonably practicable, minimised so far as is reasonably practicable, and incorporated into the design process and documentation.

The following documents are required as part of a design submission:

• A Safe Design Report
• A Safety in Design Risk Register

These guidelines reinforce the legislative responsibilities of designers, clarify Essential Energy expectations, and promote safer outcomes across construction, operation, maintenance, and decommissioning of assets. Accredited Service Providers may either utilise the Safety in Design Risk Register template provided or ensure that their own Safety in Design processes and documentation meet, at a minimum, the requirements specified in this guideline.

From 1 May 2026, the minimum requirements outlined in the guidelines will be assessed by Essential Energy during the design review.

What do you need to do?

1. Review CECG6923 - Safety in Design Guidelines for Contestable Works via the Document Library.
2. Apply the Safety in Design process and documentation requirements to all current and future contestable designs.
3. Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.
4. Ensure all design submissions include the required Safe Design Report and Risk Register.

Further Information

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

Construction News Engineering

The latest issue of Essential Energy Construction News 26-02 CEOM7098 Division Manual: Distribution Underground Design and Construction Update - Issue 18 is now available, click here to view.

What do you need to do?

1. Please read and familiarise yourself with the content.
2. Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.

Further Information

If you need further information, please contact Sujay Orpe or Peter Couch via email.

Community Consultation Guideline

To provide greater clarity around community consultation obligations during the design phase, Essential Energy has developed a new guideline for Accredited Service Providers (ASPs). This guideline outlines the minimum requirements for notifying adjoining landowners of proposed modifications to the electricity network during the design phase of a project.

The guideline is available on the Essential Connections Support page and can be accessed by searching “Consultation” or by following the link below.

Community Consultation During Design

These requirements reinforce the legislative responsibilities of designers and clearly set out Essential Energy’s expectations for community consultation.

From 1 April 2026, the minimum consultation requirements outlined in the guideline will be assessed as part of the design certification review process.

What do you need to do?

1. Review the guideline and download a copy of Appendix A.
2. Ensure the consultation process, including all required documentation, is applied across all current and future contestable designs.
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?

We would like to remind you to use the latest version of the standardised construction schedule template for each project you undertake, you can find this on the Essential Connections Support page. The current version at time of publication is v1.4.14.

It is important that the information you enter into the construction schedule is accurate and to a high quality to ensure the assets are correctly created within Essential Connections. The construction schedule also creates the data capture and test forms that are used in the construction phase of the project.

Construction Schedule tips

When completing the construction schedule, please follow the guides on the instructions page. To help us process submissions more swiftly, please make sure you:

• Refer to the instructions within CEOM7001 Construction Plan Requirements, which articulates the requirements of each schedule
• Use drop-down boxes when available
• Enter alphanumeric characters, numbers, or free text as per the instructions page
• Start at the top of the sheet – do not leave blank rows above your assets
• One asset per line
• Avoid the use of forward slashes
• Use the add row/insert tool, do not manually add rows to a schedule
• Validate the schedule using the construction schedules tab “Validate Schedule”
• Ensure correct ECN project number and Design Submission Case number are populated. Please ensure you include all leading zeros in the design submission case number.

What do you need to do?

1. Download the latest version (1.4.14) of the standardised construction schedule template from the Essential Connections support page.
2. Submit your completed spreadsheet with every design submission.
3. Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.

Further Information

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