What is happening?

In July 2020 Essential Energy made a 3D model of our overhead network, construction libraries and LiDAR data available to Level 3 ASPs. This information is available to access for Accredited Service Providers who are registered 3A and/or 3B employees with the NSW Department of Planning, Industry & Environment. If this is you, then you have the option to request access through Power Lines Pro – a third party an online platform for power line design.

Before access to Essential Energy’s 3D model on the Power Lines Pro platform is granted you will need to be registered for the BetterConnect Portal. Access to the BetterConect Portal is free. If you do not have access to the BetterConnect Portal please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au, requesting registration to the BetterConnect Portal.

If you are already registered for the BetterConnect Portal please complete the ‘Access Request for Power Lines Pro’ form and submit to aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au. Once received your request this will be processed, and you will gain access.

Further Information

Further information on Power Lines Pro and the 3D Model can be found on Essential Engagement, under Digital Asset Management.

Visit the Power Lines Pro website - especially their support pages, for further information, FAQs, tutorials, troubleshooting and access to the community forums at: https://www.powerlinespro.freshdesk.com/support/home.

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

Background

Following recent questions, we have outlined below what Essential Energy requires to accept requests for variations to CEOM7206.04 streetlight footing designs.

Certification of variations

Prior to submitting a streetlight footing design to Essential Energy that varies from CEOM7206.04 (e.g. with alternative cage designs, depth, etc), Level 3 ASPs must ensure the design has been certified by a suitably qualified civil engineer, and provide a copy of this certification to Essential Energy as an accompanying letter. The alternative design can then be certified with the original submission.

At the time of construction, if a Level 1 ASP requests a variation to a plan certified by Essential Energy, variations will need to be resubmitted for re-certification by the Level 3 ASP. Any variations will incur the standard fees charged by Essential Energy.

Please also note that variations identified within ‘As-Built’ drawings or designs may not be accepted by Essential Energy.

Future improvements

If you have any feedback about our existing Standard/s, or suggestions for future improvement, such as potential cost reductions or efficiency gains that could be achieved without impacting quality or safety, please send them to aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au for consideration on future revisions.

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 has made further improvements to Power Lines Pro to enhance the user experience for Accredited Service Providers (ASPs).

Module 4 Construction Schedules will soon go live.

The aim of the Construction Schedules enhancement is to drive efficiency by automating the construction and conductor schedule for ASPs creating and submitting designs in Power Lines Pro.

The training session will provide a demonstration including:

• Automated construction schedule
• Automated conductor schedule
• Constructions that are not yet available to be updated in the future

A How to Guide will also be provided.

To ensure that you have everything you need to utilise this enhancement, we are offering an hour-long training session:

• Session 1: Tuesday, 24 November 2020 at 1.00pm
• Session 2: Wednesday, 25 November 2020 at 1.00pm
• Session 3: Thursday, 26 November 2020 at 1.00pm

Please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au with your preferred session and we will email you the Zoom information.

Please watch the short video under Digital Asset Management to see what Module 4 Construction Schedules in Power Lines Pro can do.

An overview of the enhancement will also be provided at our Accredited Service Provider (ASP) Forums scheduled between the 4 and 10 November 2020.

What do you need to do?

1. Review the Powerline Pro demonstration video under Digital Asset Management
2. Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.
3. Email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au with your preferred session by 20 November 2020

Further Information

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

What is Happening?

To minimise the disruption to customers during the Christmas / New Year period, no planned interruptions with a customer impact will be scheduled from 19 December 2020 to 3 January 2021.  

Also Contestable Works will be closed during the same period with business resuming as normal from 4 January 2021. 

Minimal processing of emails/documentation or Asset Labels will occur from Contestable Works mailbox during the above mentioned period.

What do you need to do?

1. Review your planned interruption schedule for the dates above and work with your nominated Local Depot Switching Resource to reschedule where required.
2. Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.

Further Information

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

Essential Energy is currently experiencing an increase in the volume of low voltage connection applications. This may result in our Connection Application processing being delayed by a few days. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and will endeavour to limit this delay.

Further Information

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

As part of Essential Energy’s commitment to continuous improvement, we would like to receive your feedback on how easy you find it to do business with us.

As a key stakeholder we work with, your feedback will assist us in making sure 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 and operational performance. We greatly value your input as this will help us to make improvements where there are opportunities to do so.

Further information

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

Essential Energy would like to share some staff movements which relate directly to the Design and Certification team – Darrin Edwards has moved into the role of Manager Connections Planning and Glenn Leman is now the Contestable Work Design and Certification Manager.

If you need to contact Glenn, his email is glenn.leman@essentialenergy.com.au.

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?

To protect everyone’s health and safety, we’ll hold our next round of ASP engagement forums via Zoom, rather than face to face.

In this round, we’ll be covering a range of topics relevant to Level 1, 2 & 3 ASPs including connections, the Level 1 Agreement, CEOP2015, Standards and updates on BetterConnect and Power Lines Pro.

We encourage you to participate in these forums. You’ll have the opportunity to discuss our plans and initiatives, and to ask questions or raise issues with Essential Energy team members.

Dates and times

• Session 1: Wednesday, 4 November at 5.00pm
• Session 2: Thursday, 5 November at 12.30pm
• Session 3: Tuesday, 10 November at 5.00pm

All sessions will have the same content.

Please register your interest by emailing aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au with individual(s) email addresses and preferred session(s) by COB 30 October 2020.

Zoom details will be emailed directly to the participant two days prior to the to the event.

What do you need to do?

1. Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.
2. Attend the zoom session that suits you.

Further Information

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

Essential Energy will be removing the regional exempt areas from the Provider of Last Resort process for Level 1 and 3 Accredited Service Providers (ASPs), this will ensure that you have every opportunity to quote for Contestable Work jobs.

These will still be advertised on Essential Energy’s Document Library and there will be no change to the regionally exempt areas for Level 2 ASPs.

For more information please visit our Provider of Last Resort page on Essential Energy’s website.

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.

Accredited Service Providers (ASPs) have brought to our attention phishing emails that appear to have been sent by Essential Energy’s BetterConnect Project email address.

Valid email addresses that our Network ASP team use to share communications with you are:

• Essential Engagement;
• aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au;
• contestableworks@essentialenergy.com.au.

To maintain your cyber security, please check that any emails that appear to be from Essential Energy are valid.

What is a phishing email?

A phishing email is a fraudulent attempt to obtain your sensitive information by a sender disguising themselves as a trustworthy entity.

If you receive a phishing email, please take the following actions:

• Delete the email
• Do not open it and do not click on any links
• If you click on a suspicious link, we recommend you change all your passwords
• Do not forward the email.

You can also find more information on the Australian Cyber Security Centre: (https://www.cyber.gov.au/acsc/view-all-content/threats/phishing )

What do you need to do?

1. Review the above and remain vigilant for phishing emails.
2. Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.

Further Information

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