We’d written, back on 3rd May 2025, about ‘AEMC underway with review of the Centralised Negawatt Dispatch Mechanism (a.k.a. the WDRM), and consultation closed’.
As noted on Tuesday last week, I was away for ~5 weeks (and am gradually catching up) … and did briefly note in that article that this AEMC draft report had been released on 10th July 2025:
Briefly, let’s just note three points:
1) The AEMC notes here on the subsite that:
‘On 10 July 2025, the AEMC published a draft report, outlining two draft recommendations for the WDRM:
(a) that the WDRM should continue operating; and
(b) that the Expanding eligibility under the WDRM rule change request be initiated.’
2) The AEMC also noted that submissions on these draft recommendations were closing today (Thursday 14th August 2025).
3) Will we make a submission?
(a) Frequent readers will note that
i. we’ve almost never made submissions in market reviews over 25+ years of operations;
ii. but, by the same token, we’ve been a keen supporter (and facilitator) of other methods of demand response for many of those years as well.
(b) But (perhaps I got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning?) I’m hearing a very loud and clearly a ‘why bother?’ on this particular front … because it seems very clearly that the AEMC has a quite alternative view of what’s actually happening than I do.
One can almost imagine the team at Working Dog Production thinking up another edition of the Utopia TV series in fits of laughter dreaming up an episode that has:
- a government/central body reviewing a program that has delivered bugger all over the past 4 years (but not without a cost – including the introduction of Tripwire #3 in the AEMO’s Market Management System that will now exist for all time).
- not to be daunted, the proponents for said scheme (in their own internal strategy sessions) crystallize a plan that is ‘quick, let’s sign up a few more megawatts’ to make it look like this program is truly moving.
- which they duly do:
- Linton reported in ‘Wholesale Demand Response Capacity in June 2025’ the increase of 23MW to a total of 92MW
- a 33% increase in registered capacity in a short space of time sounds pretty good, right?
- certainly, certain commentators have noted this and reported that ‘A struggling demand response scheme has suddenly got a spring in its step’.
- Is it cynical to think that (hook, line and sinker) that government/central body has taken the bait?
What am I missing?
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