Electricity Transmission Regulations 1996

A corporation must prepare and make publicly available a Technical Code in respect of its electricity transmission network on or before 1 May 2006.

A corporation may from time to time thereafter prepare and make publicly available amendments to the Technical Code but before doing so the corporation must provide details of the proposed amendment to users and give users a reasonable period of time within which to comment on the proposed amendments.

The Technical Code must contain the following —

performance standards in respect of service quality parameters in relation to the electricity transmission network;

the technical requirements which apply to the design or operation of plant or equipment connected to the electricity transmission network;

requirements relating to the operation of the electricity transmission network (including the operation of the electricity transmission network in emergency situations or where there is a possibility of a person suffering injury);

obligations on users to test plant or equipment in order to demonstrate compliance with the technical requirements referred to in paragraph (b) and the operational requirements referred to in paragraph (c);

procedures which apply if the corporation believes that a user’s plant or equipment does not comply with the requirements of the Technical Code;

procedures relating to the inspection of a user’s plant or equipment;

procedures which apply to system tests carried out in relation to all or a part of the electricity transmission network;

requirements which relate to control and protection settings for plant or equipment connected to the electricity transmission network;

procedures which apply in the case of the commissioning and testing of new plant or equipment connected to the electricity transmission network;

procedures which apply to the disconnection of plant or equipment from the electricity transmission network;

procedures relating to the operation of generating units and other plant or equipment as part of or connected to the electricity transmission network (including the giving of dispatch instructions and compliance with those instructions);

metering requirements in relation to connections;

the information which each user is required to provide to the corporation in relation to the operation of plant or equipment connected to the electricity transmission network at the user’s connections and how and when that information is to be provided;

requirements in relation to under frequency load shedding with which users must comply; and

any other matters relating to the power system (including the electricity transmission network) or plant or equipment connected directly or indirectly to the electricity transmission network.

Subject to subregulation (10), the corporation and all users must use all reasonable endeavours to comply with the Technical Code.

Subject to subregulation (10), if the user in respect of a connection is not the controller, or is not the only controller, of the plant or equipment connected at the connection, then the user must use all reasonable endeavours to ensure that all of the controllers of that plant or equipment comply with these regulations and the Technical Code in respect of the plant or equipment.

A user may apply to a corporation for a determination that a specified provision or provisions of the Technical Code not apply, or apply with variations, to the user.

If a corporation receives an application under subregulation (6), then the corporation may determine that the provisions of the Technical Code are to apply in relation to the user (either generally or in a particular case or class of cases) as if a specified provision or provisions were omitted or were modified or varied in a specified manner.

A determination under subregulation (7) must be consistent with good electricity industry practice.

A determination under subregulation (7) must —

be in writing to the user or users affected by the determination;

specify the period for which the determination applies.

If a corporation makes a determination under subregulation (7), then the Technical Code applies to a user the subject of the determination in the manner contemplated by the determination during the period for which the determination applies.

On or before 30 September each year, a corporation must make available to users a report providing details of any determination made under subregulation (7) during the preceding financial year.