Specific Legislation
[ Last Updated 24 January 2006 ]
Electricity industry-specific legislation includes the following acts:
Electricity Act 1992
The Electricity Act sets out the regulatory framework for electricity. It provides for the regulation of the supply of electricity and the electricity industry, and for regulation and control of electrical workers. The Act’s coverage includes powers and duties of electricity operators and other owners of electricity works, electrical codes of practice, registration and licensing of electrical workers, restriction on electrical work and governance of the electricity industry. The Electricity Commission has been established under powers provided in this Act.
Electricity Industry Reform Act 1998
The Electricity Industry Reform Act (EIRA) requires full ownership separation of distribution (lines) businesses from supply (retail and generation) businesses. The main reasons for the separation were to encourage competition in generation and retailing and to prevent cross-subsidisation of generation and retailing from lines customers. These cross-ownership restrictions have been relaxed twice since 1999 to allow lines businesses to own some generation and to sell the output from those stations.
Part 4A of the Commerce Act 1986
Part 4A of the Commerce Act contains a special regulatory regime for large electricity lines businesses. Only the Commerce Commission may decide to control line services, and may do so only after a lines business has breached thresholds set by the Commission.
More information is available in Electricity [link to Commerce Commission website].
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