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Essential Energy has updated its suite of model standing offers (MSOs) to align with emerging network and customer requirements. The previous suite of five MSOs has been rationalised to three:
- Basic connection service (with or without embedded generation)
- Standard connection service (with or without embedded generation)
- Standard connection (subdivision) service
Benefits include:
- providing the connecting customer with detailed information to ensure visibility of the processes and steps required to connect to Essential Energy’s network
- formalising the process of gifting customer-funded assets to Essential Energy for Standard connections
- highlighting site-specific conditions attached to the Connection Offer
Deed of Transfer
Our updated Standard connection and Standard connection (subdivision) MSOs now include a Deed of Transfer - Gifted Assets that outlines the terms of engagement between the customer/developer and Essential Energy.
The new MSOs and Deed of Transfer are effective as of 1 July 2024. Contestable works projects commencing after this date will be required to enact the Deed of Transfer prior to connection of customer-funded assets to the network.
What do you need to do?
- Familiarise your team with the new Deed of Transfer – available as an appendix to the new MSOs on Essential Energy’s website.
- Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.
- Review the updated MSOs, on Essential Energy’s website.
What will we do?
- Design a new process, in collaboration with Level 1 ASPs, for the administration of the Deed of Transfer
- Provide ongoing updates and advice as we implement the new requirement.
Further Information
If you need further information, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au.
You cannot leave comment in this blogpost unless you are a part of the project panel.
What is happening?
Essential Energy will be hosting an opt-in session for ASPs to talk through revisions to our CEOM7098 Distribution Underground Design and Construction Manual.
If you undertake underground work, we encourage you to attend this session, ask questions and raise any concerns with the team.
Registration
The Underground manual information session will be on Wednesday 28 August 2024 from 10.00am to 10.45 am – please click here to register.
What do you need to do?
- Click on register to reserve your spot
- Review the document, on the Document Library
- Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.
Further Information
If you need further information, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au.
You cannot leave comment in this blogpost unless you are a part of the project panel.
What’s happening?
Essential Energy has an External Sales Department from which Accredited Service Providers (ASPs) can purchase equipment, materials, and hardware that are Essential Energy approved for completing projects on the Essential Energy network.
What does this mean for you?
- Essential Energy warehouses only stock items approved for use on the Essential Energy network.
- Prices are regulated by the Australian Energy Regulator.
- A full list of available items, including item code, description, and purchase price, is available to download, click on CEOM7004 Operational Manual: Standard Contestable (Approved) Materials List
- Direct to site delivery from the supplier for manufactured, long lead time, and large quantity bulk items (e.g., substation transformers, overhead and underground cable, regulators, streetlights, street columns, conduits).
Additions to approved materials list
The composite Poles on the CEOM7004 Operational Manual: Standard Contestable (Approved) Materials List will be made available for purchase through Essential Energy, External Sales. Before placing an order, you will need to obtain a quote for the price and availability of poles and freight from the supplier. Email External Sales on external.sales@essentialenergy.com.au with the following:
- Your customer / company details and number
- Contestable Works Project Number
- Item code of the Composite Pole
- Quantity of poles to be supplied
- Delivery site address
- Purchase Order number
What do you need to do?
Go to the Essential Energy website and click on the link Partners Sale of Materials to ASPs.
Further Information
If you need further information, please email external.sales@essentialenergy.com.au.
You cannot leave comment in this blogpost unless you are a part of the project panel.
What has changed?
We’ve updated our Public Lighting Installation & Consent Form CEOF6127 to ensure consistency with the latest lighting standards.
Updates provide users with additional information on lighting categories and formalise the public lighting compliance sign-off procedure with the relevant road controlling authority, the lighting designer and the Level 3 Accredited Service Provider (ASP).
Previous versions of the Public Lighting Installation & Consent Form can be submitted up to 31 August 2024 to allow designs in progress to be completed.
All public lighting projects submitted after 1 September 2024 must be accompanied by Issue 9 of the CEOF6127 – Public Lighting Installation & Consent Form, which can be downloaded from the Document Library.
To submit a typical lighting design:
- An ASP engages with the road controlling authority to determine the lighting scope.
- The ASP or their nominated lighting designer completes an illumination design.
- The ASP completes the CEOF6127 - Public Lighting Installation & Consent Form with relevant details.
- The completed consent form and illumination design are forwarded to the road controlling authority for sign off.
- The approved consent form and illumination design are submitted to Essential Energy as part of their design submission.
What do you need to do?
Please communicate the information to your clients as required and relevant members of your organisation.
Further Information
If you need further information, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au.
You cannot leave comment in this blogpost unless you are a part of the project panel.
Background
Essential Energy recently received the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) Final Distribution Determination for Ancillary Network Services covering the 2024-29 Regulatory Control Period (RCP). This determination regulates the pricing structure for Essential Energy to provide services to external customers.
What does this mean for you?
From 1 July 2024, Essential Energy will implement approved Ancillary Network Services as per the AER’s determination.
To help you understand these services we have provided the Ancillary Network Services 2024-29 ASP Change Overview document that outlines the changes in services and pricing structures. In addition, we have provided you with an Essential Energy Complexity Matrix Calculator (Open in Edge browser). These items can be downloaded from Essential Energy’s Document Library.
Please note, however, that throughout the 2024-29 RCP, Essential Energy may introduce several new regulatory services in targeted areas, based on external feedback, statutory changes and to better reflect the way services are provided.
Additionally, implementation of the AER’s determination by Essential Energy from 1 July 2024 will incur CPI and other cost increases each year until 30 June 2029. ASPs should review service and price changes when preparing quotations for future work.
Where is information about the changes available?
Read more about the determination, and access the final full-service pricing on Essential Energy's website called Price Schedule for Ancillary Network Services - 1 July 2024
Visit the AER website to view all documents associated with the final determination at Essential Energy - Determination 2024-29. For ease of reference, Attachment 16 on the AER web site outlines the new charges for Ancillary Network Services: AER Final Decision Attachment 16 - Alternative Control Services.
What do you need to do?
- Review the final Price Schedule for Ancillary Network Services 1 July 2024 located on Essential Energy's website and Document Library
- Review the Essential Energy Complexity Matrix Calculator (Open in Edge browser) on Document Library.
- Refer to our previous communication relating to Draft Ancillary Network Services 2024-29 published on Essential Engagement on 21 May 2024, to view click here.
- Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation
Further Information
If you need further information, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au.
You cannot leave comment in this blogpost unless you are a part of the project panel.
Over the coming weeks, you’ll see Essential Energy look a little different. Our logo has been updated, and the look and feel of our communications is being refreshed.
You’ll start seeing these changes from 4 June progressively across our websites, portals and digital channels, and in our correspondence, documentation and more.
Our two logos will coexist for a while, so you may see our old and new brands in various channels and communications materials at the same time.
Here’s a look at our new logo.
While our Essential Energy logo has changed, who we are and what we do remains unchanged.
Thanks for working with us to enable energy solutions that improve life for our customers and communities.
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.
You cannot leave comment in this blogpost unless you are a part of the project panel.
Background
Essential Energy recently received the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) Final Distribution Determination for Ancillary Network Services covering the 2024-29 Regulatory Control Period (RCP). This determination regulates the pricing structure for Essential Energy to provide services to external customers.
What does this mean for you?
From 1 July 2024, Essential Energy will implement approved Ancillary Network Services as per the AER’s determination.
To help you understand any changes in services and charges, we will be developing supporting information and guidelines for ASPs shortly. These documents will be located on Essential Energy’s Document Library and we will communicate when they are available.
Please note, however, that throughout the 2024-29 RCP, Essential Energy may introduce several new regulatory services in targeted areas, based on external feedback, statutory changes and to better reflect the way services are provided.
Additionally, implementation of the AER’s determination by Essential Energy from 1 July 2024 will incur CPI and other cost increases each year until 30 June 2029. ASPs should review service and price changes when preparing quotations for future work.
Where is information about the changes available?
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.
You cannot leave comment in this blogpost unless you are a part of the project panel.
What is happening?
In September 2023 Accredited Service Providers (ASPs) started to transition from physical identification cards to Digital IDs. This communication is to provide clarification on what to do when you change mobile phones.
The Digital ID will not move across to a different mobile phone and your ID credentials will need to be re-issued for the new phone. To action this, please email Essential Energy security, eesecurity@essentialenergy.com.au to let them know you are changing devices and ask for your credentials to be re-issued. Once you receive the new credentials please follow the original instructions.
What do you need to do?
- Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.
- Contact Essential Energy security, eesecurity@essentialenergy.com.au, when you change mobile phones.
Further Information
If you need further information, please email Essential Energy Security at eesecurity@essentialenergy.com.au.
You cannot leave comment in this blogpost unless you are a part of the project panel.
IMPORTANT: Essential Energy have updated our Bush Fire Priority Ratings
Over the past 12 months, Essential Energy has updated their Bushfire Priority Ratings (BPR). The modelling used to determine the ratings has been improved through the energy networks Australia project IGNIS. This was a joint collaboration between several utilities and the University of Melbourne. For more information relation to the bushfire modelling change please click here.
What this means is that many areas that were a Priority 1 have changed and other areas in the state have been updated to Priority 1.
The map below shows the changes.
We store these BPRs in our GIS system. The GIS data has now been updated and pole reports and information in your Design Information Packs will now have the new BPR - P1 to P4.
Remember that P1 areas require specific design parameters for circuit clearance. Refer to CEOM7097 – Overhead Design Manual, Clause 3-4-4-4 Special requirements for bushfire risk areas.
NEARA GIS parameters
Designers would be aware that NEARA has GIS information when you select a pole.
Please note unfortunately, due to technical reasons, these BPR changes are not yet reflected within the GIS shown in Neara against each pole. Until the network model in Neara is updated, you will need to refer to the “Additional Properties” panel against each pole selected.
See the screenshots below for help in finding this data.
Please update your inflight designs from the master file to view the updated bushfire risk priority in the additional properties panel for each pole.
The links below will assist you in updating your design from the master file.
All of Essential Energy’s how-to guides and training videos are available on Essential Energy’s Digital Asset Management page at the link below.
What do you need to do?
- Review the above information and check the design information for latest Bushfire Priority Ratings.
- When in NEARA, please refer to the BPR noted in the Additional Properties Panel.
- Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.
Further Information
If you need further information, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au.
You cannot leave comment in this blogpost unless you are a part of the project panel.
What is Happening?
We’ve created a new Central Team under our Manager of Contestable Design, Glenn Leman.
The below map shows the depots that are within each of these three regions.
Meet the teams
Northern Region – Drew Bugden P: 07 5506 3838
- Graham Foxwell, Dan Sherwin, Craig McElroy, Cleveland Maltman, David Smith, Steve Cuningham, Martin Tanner
Central Region – Michael Wilson M: 0488 175 560
- Paul Turley, Cameron Woo, Jason Boundy, Jeena Joseph
Southern Region – Tom Bollard M: 02 6589 8496
- Micheal Parris, Chris Gorham, Jeremy Bryce, Wayne Armour, Luke Horton
Complex Team – David Shawcross M: 0437 558 903
- Paul Elston, Troy Dent, Justin Evans, Ben Dalgarno Fixter, Ben Saxon
Case allocations
Based on project location postcodes, cases submitted into the portal are automatically allocated to the relevant region queues. Sometimes if we’re experiencing a workload spike in your project’s region, your case may be allocated to a person from a different region.
Escalation process
If you're having difficulties with a project, please contact the Design and Certification officer via our Essential Connections Portal or by phone (on the number supplied in the Design information pack), or the Team Leader. If you remain concerned, you can escalate your difficulties to Glenn Leman, either by e-mail via glenn.leman@essentialenergy.com.au, or mobile on 0467 866 192.
What do you need to do?
- Review the above information and attached map.
- Save the Team Leaders contact details Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.
Further Information
If you need further information, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au
Neara General Information
Using Neara - Session 1 for ASPs - Introduction and Navigation (1). (5.52 MB) (pdf)