Energy Companies Must Cooperate with Govt During Blackouts, Support Customers with Energy Efficiency Measures

Energy Legislation Amendment (Electricity Outage Emergency Response and Other Matters) Bill 2023

1st House

2nd House

Law

Links to official parliament websites

Official page: progress through parliament

Effects of this bill

If this bill passes, it means that:

The Department Head can order electricity distribution companies to take specific actions during an outage emergency.
The Department Head must check if a company has the resources to follow the order before giving it.
Distribution companies must follow these emergency directions.
Companies face civil penalties if they ignore an emergency direction.
The Department Head can share customer information with public sector entities to help manage the emergency.
The Department Head must publish a public register of all emergency directions.
The Minister can now set fees for the Victorian Energy Upgrades program.
The Essential Services Commission can use its enforcement framework for the Victorian Energy Efficiency Target Act.

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