Phase 3 - Draft Plan Development and Engagement

The workshop aimed to build understanding of what our network might look like going forward, Future Networks photovoltaic (PV) penetration in SA and seek feedback on SA Power Networks' preliminary approach and proposed expenditures (opex, capex - augex) related to non-network solutions. Presentations and Q&A sessions formed the day, included:

1. Future network strategy and expenditure proposal
2. AEMO challenges and opportunities
3. SA Power Networks challenges and opportunities
4. What we have heard from customers
5. Strategies and options
6. Future Network capex/opex proposed expenditure
7. Augex and DMIS proposed expenditure

The Operating Expenditure (opex) Workshop was held on 3 May 2018.

Items on the agenda included:

• Our proposed operating expenditure
• Network maintenance
• The Service Standard Framework and the Guaranteed Service Levels scheme
• Vegetation management and
• Overheads

it was a full day with lots of information provided. Feedback and analysis is still being considered, but photos of the day can be found here. You can also watch a video of the day here.

The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) is considering the reclassification of public lighting as an Alternative Control Service (ACS), meaning that the prices for these services will now form part of the AER’s regulatory determination for 2020-25.

Topics explored during the workshop included:

• The proposed regulatory changes being considered
• What these changes might mean for current and future public lighting services
• The services that customers currently value.

The workshop presentation along with a summary of the workshop feedback is now available. Go here to view photos from the day.

'Levels of Service' are the key business drivers that influence our asset management decisions. They articulate what we deliver to customers, and set the standards by which these promises can be measured.

Members of our Reference Groups and Customer Consultative Panel, were invited to attend the Levels of Service workshop, held on 21 November 2017.

Some of the feedback we received:

• “Customers are battling with a lack of knowledge about what SA Power Networks does.”
• “Everything you ask for, you will have to pay for. Education costs money and do you want to pay for it? “
• “How many seconds of recorded messages do you need to get past to speak to a person. [For] contractors it can be very frustrating.”

The Levels of Service Workshop feedback report, summarising the workshop outcomes, is now available. Go here to view the document.

It took more than one workshop to dig into SA Power Networks proposed capital expenditure for 2020-25!

Stakeholders participated in an intensive two part workshop held on Friday 6 April and Thursday 12 April.

Topics explored included proposed expenditure for:

• Network reliability
• Asset management and risk
• Bushfire mitigation
• Poles and substation replacement, and more

Feedback is currently being analysed. Go here to view photos from the day.

Members of SA Power Networks' Reference Groups, retailers and the AER came together on 19 March and shared their views on Tariffs on 19 March 2018.

The presentation is available here. Go here to view photos of the day.

We are currently analysing feedback, and will share the Feedback Report on Talking Power when available.

Stakeholder contributions will help inform the Draft Tariff Structure Statement being prepared alongside the Draft 2020-25 Regulatory Proposal. These documents will be open for public consultation later in 2018.

During an early stakeholder workshop on the Regulatory Reset, participants identified engagement with low income customers as a gap in our engagement strategy.

So we delivered a focused program to engage ‘vulnerable’ electricity customers who are experiencing hardship and life events which limit their ability to engage with the electricity market.

More than 1,700 hundred people engaged with Talking Power from 1 August to 8 December 2017.

Some of the feedback we received:

• “The future is undoubtedly going to include home PV, home battery storage and electric vehicle battery storage. The integration of those three will be vital to the success of our future grid.”
• “A modern and technology aware power provider should be able to tell when a system or section goes down. You shouldn't need us to tell you, you should already know that something is wrong.”
• “SMS is good - and progress reports are very helpful - especially if you have unexpected delays in power coming back on.”

View the full online engagement report here.

Online engagement feedback, gathered through the Talking Power, compliments other feedback received during the Phase 2 engagement, and will be considered in the development of the Draft 2020-25 Regulatory Proposal.

On Tuesday 20 February, we held a workshop in Adelaide on ‘future network’ related topics including microgrids, peer-to-peer trading and community energy.

Over 30 external customers and stakeholders attended the workshop and provided lots of ideas and feedback on how new customer technologies and network services can improve service and value for customers. The workshop was facilitated by our staff from the Network Innovation Centre and our Stakeholder Engagement Team.

Our next workshop is planned for 31 May.