Electricity Act 1994

This Act may be cited as the Electricity Act 1994.

The objects of this Act are to—

set a framework for all electricity industry participants that promotes efficient, economical and environmentally sound electricity supply and use; and

regulate the electricity industry and electricity use; and

establish a competitive electricity market in line with the national electricity industry reform process; and

ensure that the interests of customers are protected; and

take into account national competition policy requirements.

The dictionary in schedule 5 defines particular words used in this Act.

Electricity includes electric current, electrical energy and like or related physical qualities.

A transmission grid is a system, or part of a system, of electric lines, substations and associated equipment providing connection between generation facilities and supply networks or customers not supplied through supply networks.

A transmission grid includes connections to other transmission grids.

For the Queensland system, regional system control is—

maintaining the operation and performance of the transmission grid; and

controlling switching of transmission elements and access to them for maintenance, inspection and testing; and

controlling switching of parts of the supply network relevant to the integrity of the Queensland system; and

carrying out other functions prescribed by regulation.

A supply network is a system, or part of a system, of electric lines, substations and associated equipment, other than a transmission grid, for distributing electricity to customers, whether or not generating plant is connected to it.

For a supply network, network control is—

coordinating the operation of the supply network and any generators connected to it; or

coordinating maintenance programs and schedules for generating plant and elements of the supply network; or

ensuring the integrity of the supply network; or

controlling switching of elements of the supply network and access to them, including disconnection of load, for maintenance, inspection and testing; or

issuing directions for, and implementing reductions in, demand of customers supplied by the supply network in emergencies when available electricity is limited; or

scheduling and controlling the switching of controllable load.

Network services are services for electricity transfer provided by transmission entities and distribution entities to persons connected to a transmission grid or supply network.Examples of network services—

1 providing electricity transfer capacity

2 controlling and regulating the characteristics of electricity being transferred

3 providing facilities to connect works of generation entities, transmission entities, distribution entities, or electrical installations of customers, to a transmission grid or supply network

Ancillary services are services provided by electricity entities or customers through the operation of their works or installations in ways that are not directly related to the generation and supply of electricity, but are to ensure the stable and secure operation of an electricity system, and its recovery from emergency situations.Examples of ancillary services—

1 providing reserve to the system, including through interruptibility of load

2 operating generating and other plant to ensure the stable and secure operation of the system

3 maintaining an ability to restore supply to the system after total failure of supply

Works are anything used for, or in association with, the generation, transmission or supply of electricity.Example of works—electric lines and associated equipment, apparatus, electrical equipment, buildings, control cables, engines, fittings, lamps, machinery, meters, substations and transformers if they are used for, or in association with, the generation, transmission or supply of, electricity

A substation is works used for converting, transforming or controlling electricity. (3)Operating works are—

for a generation entity—the generating plant (including battery storage devices), fuel stocks, electrical and other property (including reactive power compensation devices) used for generating electricity or connecting supply to a transmission grid or supply network; or

for a transmission entity—the transmission grid and other property (including battery storage devices and reactive power compensation devices) used for operating or managing the transmission grid; or

for a distribution entity—the supply network and other property (including battery storage devices and reactive power compensation devices) used for operating or managing the supply network.

Example of other property used for generating electricity—coal handling facilities for a coal-fired power station and the land where they are situated

In this section—battery storage device—

means plant that—

converts electricity into stored chemical energy; and

releases stored chemical energy as electricity; and

Examples—

• an electrochemical battery, including a lithium-ion battery and a vanadium redox flow battery

• a solid-state battery, including a lithium-metal battery

includes any equipment necessary for the operation of the plant.

reactive power compensation device means a device primarily designed to regulate reactive power in an electrical system.

Example—a synchronous condenser

Electrical equipment is any apparatus, appliance, cable, conductor, fitting, insulator, material, meter or wire—

used for controlling, generating, supplying, transforming or transmitting electricity at a voltage greater than extra low voltage; or

operated by electricity at a voltage greater than extra low voltage; or

that is, or that forms part of, a cathodic protection system.

However, electrical equipment does not include any apparatus, appliance, cable, conductor, fitting, insulator, material, meter or wire forming part of a vehicle if—

it forms part of a unit of the vehicle that provides propulsion for the vehicle; or

its source of electricity is a unit of the vehicle that provides propulsion for the vehicle.

Examples of things that, under subsection (2), are not electrical equipment—

• the headlights of a vehicle

• ignition spark plugs of a motor vehicle

• the interior lighting system of a vehicle, if powered from a battery charged by the engine that drives the vehicle or by the vehicle’s movement

Examples of things that are not prevented by subsection (2) from being electrical equipment—

• interior lighting or a socket outlet in a caravan, if the lighting or outlet is operated by a low voltage generating set or connected to low voltage supply

• a refrigeration unit in a food delivery vehicle operating at low voltage from a source separate from the propulsion unit for the vehicle