Development of Interconnection Rules
- 2009 annual report on interconnection asset capacity and grid configuration
- Consultation on proposed availability and reliability index measures - interconnection asset services
- Draft Connection Code, Outage Protocol and Interconnection Service Measures published for consultation (October 2007)
- Final decision paper for the Benchmark Agreement and the Interconnection Rules (May 2007)
- Drafting comments on the benchmark agreement and interconnection rules
- Call for cross-submissions on draft Benchmark Agreement and proposed interconnection rules
- Interconnection rules
The detailed service measures and levels, and grid configuration were not set out in the Interconnection Rules when they came into force. Instead, the Interconnection Rules provide a process whereby they are provided by Transpower, reviewed by the EA and then recommended to the Minister of Energy and Resources for inclusion as schedules to the Interconnection Rules.
2009 annual report on interconnection asset capacity and grid configuration
On 1 December 2009, the Commission received Transpower's 2009 annual report on interconnection asset capacity and grid configuration, as required by rule 9.1 of the Interconnection Rules, and supporting information.
- Letter from Transpower dated 30 November 2009
- The following information was provided by Transpower in their letter dated 30 November 2009:
- Annual report as required by Rule 9.1
- Regional diagrams showing the configuration of the grid (zip file)
- North Island Power System Diagram Load flow Transmission Line Ratings and Substation Loads
- South Island Power System Diagram Load flow Transmission Line Ratings and Substation Loads
- Service measures and levels for interconnection circuit and transformer branches (zip file)
- Configuration and capacity of HVDC link
- Service measures and levels for shunt assets
- Service measures and levels for HVDC shunt assets
- Date for summer and winter periods
Following review of the 2009 report, the Commission proposed that, subject to consultation with materially affected parties, schedule F6 of the Interconnection Rules be amended by updating the schedule to include the information in the 2009 annual report.
On 22 February 2010, the Commission published the consultation paper “Interconnection Asset Capacity and Grid Configuration”.
The closing date for submissions on the consultation paper was 5pm on Monday 15 March 2010. Two submissions were received.
Having considered the submissions on the interconnection asset capacity and grid configuration, the Commission recommended that schedule F6 of the Interconnection Rules be updated to include the information in the 2009 annual report. Following the Ministers approval, the Rule change would come into force on 1 June 2010
Consultation on proposed availability and reliability index measures - interconnection asset services
On 25 September 2009, the Commission published a paper “proposed availability and reliability index measures - interconnection asset services” for consultation as part of the Commission's review of the index measures.
The closing date for submissions on the consultation paper was 5pm on Friday 16 October 2009. The Commission received seven submissions.
Having considered the submissions received on the proposed availability and reliability index measures, the Commission recommended that the availability and reliability index measures be included as schedule F6A to the Rules. Following the Ministers approval, the Rule change came into force on 1 February 2010.
Further details and the Gazette notice are available below:
Draft Connection Code, Outage Protocol and Interconnection Service Measures published for consultation (October 2007)
Before the benchmark agreement could take effect, the Connection Code, Outage Protocol and Interconnection Service Measures must be added to the Rules.
Pursuant to a request from the Commission, Transpower provided to the Commission:
- a proposed draft Connection Code (to be added as Schedule 8 of the benchmark agreement); and
- proposed draft Outage Protocol (to be added as a schedule to section VII of part F of the Rules).
In addition, in accordance with the Interconnection Rules, Transpower provided a proposed Interconnection Service Measures to the Commission (to be added as schedule F6 of section VI of part F of the Rules).
The Commission published for consultation:
- the draft Connection Code and draft Outage Protocol on 19 October 2007, and
- the proposed Interconnection Service Measures on the 26 October 2007.
Comments were sought by the Commission by midday on Thursday 22 November 2007.
The Commission received:
- Eleven submissions on the proposed Outage Protocol and Connection Code; and
- Seven submissions on the proposed Interconnection Service Measures.
Final decision paper for the Benchmark Agreement and the Interconnection Rules (May 2007)
The Commission had previously undertaken a considerable amount of analysis of its proposals against section 172F of the Electricity Act 1992 (Act). The analysis of the Commission's original proposals is contained in:
- the Benchmark Agreement consultation paper, dated 19 May 2006; and
- the Interconnection Rules consultation paper, dated 9 June 2006.
Some of the Commission's proposals were changed or clarified as a result of the consultation process, the Commission's subsequent consideration of the proposals and the feedback received.
The clarifications and changes were relatively minor in nature, and the Commission considered that the previous analysis under section 172F of the proposal stood. Some changes are more significant, requiring a new or revised assessment against section 172F of the Act. Also, in some cases, even where the proposals have not changed, it is necessary to update the Commission's initial section 172F analysis.
Accordingly, the Commission published a paper that:
- outlined any changes to the proposals set out in the:
- Benchmark Agreement consultation paper and draft Benchmark Agreement
- Interconnection Rules consultation paper and draft Interconnection Rules; and
- Summary of submissions and provisional response to submissions on the draft Benchmark Agreement and draft Interconnection Rules;
- augmented, revised or replaced the analysis against section 172F of the Act presented in the above papers, to reflect changes or clarifications to the proposals and the Commission's additional considerations as a result of the consultation process; and therefore
- confirmed the final proposals that the Commission recommends to the Minister.
- Final decision paper
- Appendix A: pdf [177 KB] Report from Ernst&Young on “Benchmark Connection Agreement Credit Support Provisions - Further Supplementary Report” (22 March 2007)
- Appendix B: pdf [42 KB] Letter from Meridian Energy Limited to the Commission on “Information Requested at the Benchmark Conference” (relating to HVDC Link contract) (16 February 2007)
The Rule change was recommended to the Minister on the 21 May 2007 and subsequently gazetted on 31 May 2007.
Drafting comments on the benchmark agreement and interconnection rules
The Commission sought drafting comments on the final form of the recommendations to be made to the Minister of Energy. These recommendations included:
- the draft benchmark agreement;
- the interconnection rules (including the Outage Protocol rules);
- proposed amendments to part F of the Rules, and
- new definitions for part A of the Rules.
Call for cross-submissions on draft Benchmark Agreement and proposed interconnection rules
The Commission carried out an initial consideration of the submissions received on:
- Benchmark Agreement consultation paper and draft Benchmark Agreement, 19 May 2006 ; and
- Interconnection rules consultation paper and draft interconnection rules, 9 June 2006.
The Commission decided to invite cross-submissions from interested parties on the submissions received by it in response to the two consultation papers.
Interconnection rules
The Commission proposed in the Benchmark Agreement Consultation Paper that the Benchmark Agreement apply to connection services and interconnection information services, and that interconnection asset services be dealt with in the Rules.
In June 2006, the Commission published a paper that provided the formal consultation on the Commission's proposal for interconnection asset services. The paper also set out, in full, the Commission's proposed Rules for the preparation of an outage protocol. The proposed outage protocol Rules were briefly referred to in the Benchmark Agreement Consultation Paper.
This page is related to: Transmission.