The AER should request additional information, and a more detailed monitoring, evaluation plan before granting a trial waiver to CitiPower, Powercor, and United Energy (CPU).
Trial waivers are an opportunity for Distributed Network Service Providers (DNSPs) to innovate beyond their usual scope, with the potential to gather valuable insights.
The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) should require a thorough evaluation and monitoring process, to identify effective approaches and inform potential regulatory development that will serve the long-term interests of consumers.
It may be appropriate to alleviate ring-fencing provisions through trial waivers in some circumstances, to test their impact and foster innovation.
We support DNSPs using trial waivers and regulatory sandboxes, to test whether easing the ring-fencing restriction of DNSPs owning electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure forms part of the appropriate mix of a public EV charging rollout.
CPU’s proposal falls short of demonstrating how electric vehicle charging infrastructure (EVCI) ownership by DNSPS can play an important role in an equitable EV transition.
Many Australian households lack off-street parking or don’t have access to electricity where they park. Public EV charging is essential for these consumers, and this must be thoroughly considered when planning EV charging infrastructure.
Although not essential, additional information from CPU would have been beneficial to support the merits of its proposal.
While not necessary for the AER to approve a waiver, more transparent pricing and a defined timeframe would have been helpful. CPU’s proposal lacks clarity in these areas, and we would like to see this information included in future trial waiver applications.
