Electricity Reform Act 2000

The Minister may, by notice in the Gazette, declare an area to be an electricity supply distribution extension area.

If the Minister declares an area to be an electricity supply distribution extension area, the owner of each parcel of land within the area is liable to pay to the electricity entity licensed to sell electricity in the area a financial contribution towards the cost of extension of electricity supply in the area.

The liability under subsection (2) exists despite that an owner does not elect to have electricity supplied by the electricity entity for consumption on the land.

An owner and electricity entity referred to in subsection (2) may enter into an agreement relating to the conditions on or subject to which electricity will be supplied by the electricity entity for consumption on the land.

The balance from time to time outstanding of an amount referred to in subsection (2) is an overriding statutory charge, within the meaning of the Land Title Act 2000, on the parcel of land.

The owner of a parcel of land who is liable as referred to in subsection (2) must not transfer the land to another person unless he or she has first paid to the electricity entity the amount of the liability outstanding at the date of the transfer and, for the purposes of calculating the liability, any amount payable in accordance with subsection (2) becomes due and payable in full immediately before the proposed transfer despite that, but for this subsection, it would not become due and payable until a later date.

The financial contribution referred to in subsection (2) is the amount approved by the Utilities Commission as the owner's reasonable share of the capital contribution required of the electricity entity by the electricity entity licensed to operate the electricity network in the area.

In this section, parcel of land means the whole of the land the subject of a separate certificate as to title registered under the Land Title Act 2000.