It’s been a bit of a crazy few weeks for us (such as with the effects of the Brisbane flooding event, along with some other things) which has meant I am playing catch-up on some developments in terms of
On 3rd March 2022, the AEMC made a Rule Determination on ‘Enhancing operational resilience in relation to indistinct events’, with the two key documents being the Rule Determination, and the New Rule:
Some of these reports are accessible in the listing below:
| Rule Determination | The new Rule |
|
The 48-page Rule Determination explains why the AEMC … ‘has made a more preferable final rule (final rule) to amend the contingency event framework to ensure AEMO has the operational tools to better manage threats to power system security.’ |
The 10-page ‘National Electricity Amendment (Enhancing operational resilience in relation to indistinct events) Rule 2022 No. 1’ specifies the key dates as: (a) Schedule 1 of this Rule commences operation on 9 March 2023. (b) Schedule 2 of this Rule commences operation on 3 June 2024, immediately after the commencement of Schedules 1 to 6 of the National Electricity Amendment (Integrating energy storage systems into the NEM) Rule 2021 No.13. (c) Schedule 3 of this Rule commences operation on 10 March 2022…. i.e. is now already in effect. |
The AEMC’s Media Release includes the following:
‘In the energy sector, unpredictable and uncertain events are referred to as ‘indistinct events’ and they can threaten multiple elements on the power system.
‘Examples include major storms, flooding, widespread and catastrophic fires, as well as non-climate related events such as cyberattacks.’
‘It is not only difficult to predict the occurrence of such events, but also to predict their consequences on the power system.’
Ms Collyer said that as the technology mix changes, and as storms and bushfires become more intense and frequent, indistinct events are a growing threat to maintaining a secure supply of electricity to customers.’
We’ll be interested to see how this changes AEMO’s approach for managing stressful situations, beginning 9th March next year.
Further information (including the evolution of this Rule Change) is currently available on the AEMC Project Site here.
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