Level 3 ASPs

The BetterConnect Portal will be unavailable on Sunday 19 July 2020, to enable upgrades by its administrator, Salesforce.

This will not change any functionality that is currently available in the system.

If you experience any issues using the BetterConnect Portal following this upgrade, please contact Essential Energy by email via aspinfo@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?

As communicated on 16 June, Essential Energy will be making a 3D model of our overhead network, construction libraries and LiDAR data available to Level 3 ASPs. From late July you will have the option to request access to these through Power Lines Pro.

Power Lines Pro is a third party online platform available to purchase, however a free trial is available which will allow you to view Essential Energy’s data and network model.

Essential Energy are running a series of online training sessions via zoom to help you get started. Each module will have a morning (10.00am) and afternoon (1.00pm) session. Sessions are listed below:

• Module 1 (M1) – Introduction to Power Lines Pro – 2 hours

An overview of Power Lines Pro, what we are offering, and how this will improve design and certification processes. Tuesday 14 to Friday 17 July.

• Module 2 (M2) – LiDAR Data & Network Automodel – 2 hours

How to gain access to the data you need and to Powerlines Pro for designs on Essential Energy’s network. Tuesday 21 to Friday 24 July.

• Module 3 (M3) – How to model with LiDAR Data – 2 hours

An optional session that will walk through some examples using Essential Energy’s LiDAR data and construction libraries to create designs. Tuesday 28 to Friday 31 July.

This invite is open to all members of your company, however spaces are limited and they will be allocated on a first in, first served basis. We plan to record these sessions and share on Essential Engagement for those unable to attend.

To reserve a spot please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au with the following details:

• Name, Organisation, Job title, Email address and Phone number for each person attending
• Which sessions you have selected (eg. M1 Wednesday 1PM, M2 Tuesday 10AM, M3 Friday 10AM)

Calendar invitations with further instructions on how to attend these online sessions will be sent within 2 business days of receiving your email.

What do you need to do?

1. Review the Training Schedule on Essential Engagement under Digital Asset Management.
2. Email your selected session/s to aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au as outlined above.
3. Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.
4. Power Lines Pro has a free trial and support materials available on their Power Lines Pro website. If you choose to sign up please use the same email address as your Okta account – we will provide more details during the training.

Further Information

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

What is happening?

Essential Energy will be making our 3D asset modelling and design libraries available to Level 3 ASPs. From late July, you will be able to request access to Powerlines Pro – an online software tool for power line design.

Essential Energy’s internal design team already use this tool and have seen significant improvements in design quality and consistency as a result.

By giving you access to these optional tools and data that Essential Energy are using, we can start streamline the process from conceptual design through to certification.

Essential Energy has created a short video for you to see what Powerlines Pro can do, you can find this on Essential Engagement under Digital Asset Management.

A pilot group of ASPs have already started using this tool and have helped with improvements to make sure it meets your needs.

We will be offering a series of online training sessions to demonstrate how to use Powerlines Pro and access our 3D modelling of Essential Energy’s network, construction libraries and LiDAR data for utilisation within your designs.

Our next communication will detail these optional training sessions, which will be held between 14 July and 31 July 2020. At this time, we will be asking you to submit your expressions of interest to attend.

What do you need to do?

1. Review the Powerlines Pro demonstration video on Essential Engagement under Digital Asset Management.
2. Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.

Further Information

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

Friendly reminder

As per our communication on 1 June 2020 Essential Energy are requesting that all paperwork is submitted prior to 1 July 2020.

Previous communication

To assist Essential Energy in ensuring that all work completed and commissioned in the 2019-20 financial year is correctly recorded and closed in our systems, we are asking you, where practical, to please send all required paperwork.

We are also requesting that you submit a schedule to rectify all outstanding non-conformances prior to 1 July 2020. If you are unsure of your current outstanding non-conformance status, please contact your local NAF or SNAF (Network Assurance Facilitator).

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, or alternatively contact your local NAF or SNAF.

What is happening?

As Part of being easy to do business with, and listening to your feedback Essential Energy are pleased to share that we are in the process of updating CEOM7081 – Subtransmission Line Design Manual, so that certain Overhead subtransmission projects can be designed utilising Powerlines Pro as the modelling software.

Draft changes to CEOM7081 – Subtransmission Line Design Manual

5.8.2 Design Software for Subtransmission Line Design.

Essential Energy uses specific software packages; PLS Cadd and Powerlines Pro, for subtransmission line design. Essential Energy requires designers submit software files and design material compatible with either PLS Cadd or Powerlines Pro.

PLS Cadd

Weather criteria files for the five weather zones and a weather cases file are listed in Section 6.6 for easy reference.

These files are also available electronically along with computer models of Essential Energy’s standard subtransmission poles, fittings and assemblies for use with the PLS_Cadd software package.

The electronic files are available to Contract Designers who are engaged in subtransmission line design for Essential Energy.

Powerlines Pro

Powerlines Pro may be used to design subtransmission lines where ruling span analysis is acceptable. This typically includes single wood, concrete and steel poles. Currently Powerlines Pro may not be used to submit designs where Finite Element Analysis is required, such as use of structural analysis of H Frame structures, other braced or dual pole structures or towers, or where pole flexibility is a design consideration such as un-stayed strain structures across large spans, e.g. unstayed river crossings.

A Powerlines Pro master file providing a library of Essential Energy’s Conductors, Poles and Constructions is also available on request to Contract Designers.

6.1 Introduction

The structural design methods in this manual are based on ‘limit state’ concepts as recommended by AS/NZS 7000 and parts of this Section of the manual are taken directly from this document.

Whilst the design of subtransmission lines can be carried out manually it is most often carried out with the use of specialised software packages. These may include overhead line design software and pole footing design software.

This structural Section will provide the Essential Energy parameters for designs to be carried out either manually or by software package. In all instances, any software utilised for any complete design or part thereof shall be approved by Essential Energy. To enable checking and future maintenance, Essential Energy requires the use of PLS_Cadd, Powerlines Pro or software that can provide the design in a form readily accepted by PLS_Cadd or Powerlines Pro. The software shall enable design compliance with all relevant codes and regulations and conform to current industry practice.

PLS_Cadd Software Design Criteria files are included in Section 6.6, however, an electronic copy can be provided to Contract Designers for use with PLS_Cadd as used by Essential Energy.

A Powerlines Pro master file providing a library of Essential Energy’s Conductors, Poles and Constructions is also available on request to Contract Designers.

Essential Energy subtransmission lines are to be designed for a one in one-hundred-year return period (RP) for regional wind speeds: RP=100 year (ie annual probability of exceedence = 1/100).

What do you need to do?

1. Review the draft text from CEOM7081 – Subtransmission Line Design Manual.
2. In July, you can begin utilising Powerlines Pro for overhead subtransmission projects in alignment with the above criteria.
3. Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.

Further Information

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

Changes made to CEOF6013 – Outage, Connection & Work Live LV request from

Following recent incidents of outages extending beyond requested timeframes, Essential Energy has amended form CEOF6013 Request for Planned Outage, Connection or Work Live LV.

The new form will be available in the Document Library from 1 July 2020 and we request that you start using it immediately after that date.

Key changes to CEOF6013 Request for Planned Outage, Connection or Work Live LV are:

• The ASP must provide 5 days’ notice when they intend to work live LV.
• The ASP is to state the Access Permit duration time required to complete the work.
• A detailed description of works must be provided, including work areas and tasks to be undertaken.
• Additional fees will be applied for Access Permits outside of business hours.
• Outlines actions and responsibilities for the ASP when customers are affected by planned outages.
• Switching / commissioning officer has a checklist as a guide to assist with the contestable process.

Please familiarise yourself with the new form and the notes listed on page 2. If you have any questions, please contact your local Network Assurance Facilitator.

What do you need to do?

1. Review the above key changes and submit CEOF6013 version 8 from 1 July 2020. The revised CEOF6013 form will be located in 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.

As you are aware the new BetterConnect portal for level 3 ASPs went live on the 25 May 2020. We appreciate it takes time to get use to a new system and have extended the validity of active Design Information Packs (DIP) which are due to expire prior to COB 12 June 2020 by an additional 4 weeks.

If you have a project with a DIP that falls into this category, please submit a Design Submission to contestableworks@essentialenergy.com.au prior to COB 10 July 2020. After this date, any expired DIP will require a new Design Information Application to be submitted via the BetterConnect Portal, as no DIPs will be reissued via the contestable works email address.

If you have a DIP that expired before 25 May 2020 you will need to reapply via the BetterConnect portal.

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.

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.

To assist Essential Energy in ensuring that all work completed and commissioned in the 2019-20 financial year is correctly recorded and closed in our systems, we are asking you, where practical, to please send us all the required paperwork.

We are also requesting that you submit a schedule to rectify all outstanding non-conformances prior to 1 July 2020. If you are unsure of your current outstanding non-conformance status, please contact your local NAF or SNAF (Network Assurance Facilitator).

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, or alternatively contact your local NAF or SNAF.

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.