Every five years, we prepare a detailed plan about how we will operate, maintain, and invest in our gas network (ACT and Queanbeyan-Palerang) to meet the future needs of consumers. This gas access arrangement five-year plan is submitted to the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) for consideration and approval to determine how costs associated with the gas network are passed on to consumers.
Our current AER approved 2021–2026 five-year plan is for the period from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2026 and is available on the AER’s website.
Planning for 2026-31
Australia’s energy sector is entering a period of enormous change, and the ACT is leading the way. The ACT Government has set a target of net zero emissions by 2045. This includes a clear direction for the transition away from gas toward electricity over the next 20 years to 2045. While the NSW Government has not prevented new gas connections, it has set a target of net zero emissions by 2050.
This energy transition has never been done before. It brings with it risks and challenges for Evoenergy and our customers that need to be effectively managed so we can continue to provide safe and reliable gas services.
The 2026–2031 gas access arrangement review process for the period from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2031 is underway. A carefully considered plan for our network, that considers and reflects long-term consumer interests, takes a while to develop. We’ve already begun planning and throughout this planning period we will be talking to our ACT and NSW consumers and other stakeholders to enable us to make informed decisions over the next five years through to 2045.
30 June 2024
Evoenergy submits Reference Service Proposal to AER
December 2024
AER makes final decision on Reference Service Proposal
30 June 2025
Evoenergy submits five-year plan to AER
November 2025
AER makes draft decision on five-year plan
January 2026
Evoenergy submits revised five-year plan to AER
30 April 2026
AER makes final decision on five-year plan
1 July 2026
Start of new regulatory period
Consumer and stakeholder engagement
Engagement on our five-year plan is an important opportunity to gain insights into how the energy transition may impact the community. We will seek to ensure we undertake genuine and transparent engagement with consumers.
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Our approach to engagement
Our independent advisory forum, the Energy Regulatory Advisory Panel (ERAP) was established in December 2023. The ERAP is tasked with challenging us in our thinking and providing advice on key regulatory issues that promote the long-term interests of gas customers.About our ERAP
Members:
- Dr Andrew Nance (ERAP Chair), Independent Consultant – The Energy Project
- Wendy Russell, Research Fellow Battery Storage and Grid Integration Program – Australian National University
- Katherine Lowe, Director – Axiom Economics
- Louise Benjamin, Regulatory Consultant and Lecturer – College of Law NSW
- Gavin Dufty, Executive Manager Policy and Research – St Vincent de Paul
ERAP Operational Guidelines
Meeting documents
- Meeting 1 presentation, dashboard report and summary
- Meeting 2 presentation, dashboard report and summary
- Meeting 3 presentation and summary
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Our 2026-31 engagement strategy
Our engagement strategy outlines the engagement we will undertake on our Reference Service Proposal and five-year plan to be submitted to the AER by 30 June 2024 and 30 June 2025 respectively. It was developed with the valuable input of the ERAP. Our strategy builds on:
- our overarching Stakeholder Engagement Strategy
- previous regulatory review process experience
- ongoing customer research
- other gas distribution businesses’ experience
- engagement guidelines and best practices.
We consider this strategy to be a ‘living’ document that will change over time as we move through our engagement journey.
View the current version of our 2026–2031 Engagement Strategy and a high-level summary of the strategy as of March 2024.
Community forum
Our community forum has been established to help us better understand the values and long-term interests of our customers and make informed decisions over the next five years and through to 2045.
The group of community representatives will meet across six sessions between May and August 2024. During these sessions, we are hearing customer views on how we can plan out a fair and equitable transition path for the future.
Although Evoenergy gives input to the topics discussed, the forum is facilitated by independent engagement specialists, Communication Link.
Session summaries and presentations
The below summaries and presentations provide an overview of what was discussed in each community forum session and what the outcomes were.
Forum participants have contributed to and reviewed the summaries.
- Session 1 summary and presentation
- Session 2 summary and presentation
- Session 3 presentation
Our pulse check on customer preferences
In April 2024, we engaged Sagacity Research to undertake a survey of the preferences and intentions of residential gas customers. We heard from around 1,600 respondents who told us:
- They are increasingly inclined to switch their existing gas appliances to electric ones (including their cooktops)
- They are unlikely to switch appliances that are still working, but will replace their gas appliances with electric ones at the point of failure
- The point of failure for their appliances is likely to occur within the next 5-10 years
- The key drivers for electrifying their homes are gas prices and environmental concerns
You can see the full report from our gas demand survey here.
Please note in this report, demand uncertainty is defined as 'the proportion of customers likely to change existing gas appliances to electric appliances.'