Call for experts to develop a standardised demand flexibility product for the wholesale market

The Electricity Authority Te Mana Hiko (Authority) is calling for nominations for a new voluntary technical group to co-design a standardised demand flexibility product (eg, a standardised hedge product).

We seek to appoint a group that includes a broad range of perspectives on demand flexibility (both buyers and sellers), reflecting the diverse forms of demand flexibility that could be used in the wholesale electricity market.

This group of representatives will work with us to develop the product from December 2025 to June 2026. Any product implementation would start later in 2026.

We recognise that demand flexibility could also help the electricity system manage high or volatile electricity prices. In January 2025 the Standardised Flexibility Product Co-design Group recommended the development of a demand flexibility product that could provide additional ways for financially managing peak periods, alongside other forms of hedging. This group will support the Authority in giving effect to this recommendation.

The purpose of the Co-design Group

We are proposing to develop a demand flexibility product that addresses barriers for prospective buyers and sellers of demand flexibility. It aims to spark innovation and make it easier to offer and access demand flexibility services.

Increasing the use of demand flexibility supports both strategic outcomes in the Authority’s refreshed strategy, to ensure consumers have access to affordable electricity, and to promote the security and resilience of our electricity system.

While this initiative was proposed as part of the wider work to better reward industrial demand flexibility, this group is intended to have a broader focus across all forms of demand flexibility that could be used in the wholesale electricity market, such as aggregations of residential consumers or commercial consumers.

To make a nomination, please complete and return the nomination form below by 5pm, 25 November 2025 to OperationsConsult@ea.govt.nz.

For any questions, contact OperationsConsult@ea.govt.nz