Retailer Reliability Obligation
On 19 December 2018, the former Coalition of Australian Governments (COAG) Energy Council agreed to implement the Retailer Reliability Obligation (RRO) for the National Electricity Market (NEM).
The RRO builds on existing spot and financial market arrangements in the electricity market to facilitate investment in dispatchable capacity. It is designed to incentivise retailers, on behalf of customers, to support the reliability of the power system through their contracting and investment decisions.
The RRO does this by requiring electricity retailers to demonstrate they have entered into sufficient contracts for dispatchable capacity (including demand response) to cover their share of system peak demand at the time of the gap between demand and supply. The obligation is triggered if there is a material gap between forecast demand and supply 3 years out from the period in which the gap is forecast.
The RRO commenced on 1 July 2019.
- Retailer Reliability Obligation – Final Rules Package
- National Electricity Amendment (Retailer Reliability Obligation) Rule 2019
The Energy Security Board (ESB) prepared a Decision Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) on behalf of the COAG Energy Council following consultation with stakeholders. The RIS was assessed as compliant with COAG RIS requirements by the Office of Best Practice Regulation.
