28 Oct 2021
Registrations open today for Evoenergy’s community panel which will give Canberrans the opportunity to get involved and have their say on the future of electricity supply in the region.
We’re developing a plan for how we will operate and invest in the electricity network for the period from 2024–29 to determine the network costs that will be passed on to electricity consumers, subject to review and approval by the Australian Energy Regulator.
Evoenergy’s General Manager Peter Billing said that engaging with the community to understand what Canberrans want and need from the electricity network is a crucial first step to shape the development of the plan.
“We’re heading into a really important stage of our energy transition, and we need to take the time to examine every aspect of how we operate and maintain our energy network so we can create a plan that is going to get the ACT to where it needs to be,” said Peter.
“We have a long history of service the community and when we’ve talked to home owners and businesses, we’ve heard that Canberrans need energy that’s affordable, sustainable, reliable and safe. In the coming years, we also know we want an energy network that’s innovative and enables us to use energy efficiently and smartly.”
“As we develop our plan, there’ll be a number of opportunities for everyone to get involved. Our community panel is a great way for Canberrans to dive deep into our energy opportunities and challenges, and have their say so we can really understand things from a consumer perspective to inform our decision-making.”
Evoenergy is seeking 30 members of the community to come forward and join the energy community panel, representing a diverse cross-section of people of different ages, genders, cultures and suburbs.
“Our panel members will meet six times over the next nine months to hear from Evoenergy and industry experts, explore and discuss a range of energy topics together, and come up with key recommendations that will shape the way we move forward,” said Peter.
“Input from the community is absolutely essential to our planning. How we manage our energy infrastructure and the practical decisions we make are critical to ensuring the ACT has a clean, affordable and equitable energy network now and into the future.”
For more information or to register for Evoenergy’s community panel, visit www.engagewithenergy.com.au. Registrations are open to all ACT residents 18 years of age or older until midnight 3 November 2021.
Background
Every five years, Evoenergy is required to submit to the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) how much it plans to spend operating, maintaining and investing in the electricity network and how these costs should be recovered from electricity consumers. Evoenergy’s proposal for the period from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2029 will be submitted to the AER in January 2023. The AER will review Evoenergy’s proposal and release a draft decision in September 2023. Evoenergy will then submit a revised proposal in December 2023 which will be followed by a final decision from the AER in April 2024.
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