The Commerce Commission will publish its final decision on Transpower's major capex project (MCP) proposal.

Transpower has published a draft version of the Security of Supply Assessment (SOSA) 2025.  

The annual assessment is used by market participants, policy makers and other stakeholders to inform risk management and investment decisions, including about development of new generation and transmission infrastructure. 

Transpower is seeking feedback on the draft 2025 SOSA to consider prior to the final publication which will be no later than 30 June 2025.  

Submissions close Tuesday 3 June 2025. The draft 2025 SOSA and information about how to provide feedback is on Transpower's system operator consultations page. 

The purpose of this green paper is to start the necessary discussion and debate among all electricity stakeholders around decentralisation and the future of our energy system.

The Electricity Authority Te Mana Hiko will use this feedback to help shape our regulatory thinking about what a more decentralised electricity system might look like for New Zealand, how this might benefit consumers, and what might be needed to gain these benefits.

Feedback is due by 5pm on 4 June 2025

Find out more.

The Electricity Authority Te Mana Hiko is encouraging all retailers to attend an information session next week to ensure they are ready for the new mandatory reporting that starts in August 2025.

Topics covered:

• How to prepare for the new data submission
• How to submit data via Secure File Transfer Protocol
• How to test the process (in advance of the first data submission on 31 August)
• Frequently asked questions

The session will be on Thursday 12 June 2.30-4.00pm, online or in person at the Authority's Auckland or Wellington offices.

Find out more and register.

The Electricity Authority Te Mana Hiko is seeking feedback on a proposal to amend Part 8 of the Electricity Industry Participation Code 2010 (Code) to address increased frequency variability in New Zealand’s power system. This is caused by the growing amount of variable and intermittent resources, including wind and solar generation.

Feedback on the proposal is due by 5pm, Tuesday 17 June 2025. Decisions will be shared in late 2025.

View consultation

The Offshore Renewable Energy Bill is currently before select committee.

Transpower's 24 June System Operator Industry Forum has been extended to one hour to take participants through the outlook and how it forms a key part of the electricity industry’s security of supply forecasting and information framework. 

Transpower has released an Energy Security Outlook 101 document to help industry participants better understand its monthly assessment of energy security risk into the next two years.

The Electricity Authority Te Mana Hiko aims to release decisions on a working paper which aims to improve settings in relation to power purchase agreements (PPAs). Submissions were due 28 February 2025 and the full consultation was due for release in April (see above). 

The Energy Competition Taskforce is seeking feedback on a roadmap of 11 proposed actions to appropriately reward industrial consumers for the benefit their short-term demand flexibility brings to the power system.

As the level of intermittent electricity generation (wind and solar) in Aotearoa New Zealand increases and thermal generation reduces, the need for flexibility is becoming increasingly important.

Feedback is welcome on this proposed approach by 5pm, Thursday 26 June 2025.

Find out more.

Transpower has published a draft version of the Security of Supply Assessment (SOSA) 2025 in May.  

The annual assessment is used by market participants, policy makers and other stakeholders to inform risk management and investment decisions, including about development of new generation and transmission infrastructure. 

Final publication of the paper based n feedback will be no later than 30 June 2025.  

The Government's Review of New Zealand's electricity market, launched in November 2024, is expected to conclude in late June 2025.

The Electricity Authority Te Mana Hiko is calling for nominations for its Switch and Data Formats Group.

This group reviews and advises the Authority on switching processes and the exchange of information between industry participants to ensure they remain efficient and fit for purpose as the industry evolves.

About the Switch and Data Formats Group

The Electricity Authority Te Mana Hiko has extended the deadline for submissions on its Rewarding industrial demand flexibility consultation by one week. The new deadline is 5pm, Thursday 3 July 2025.

This extension is in response to requests to allow parties more time to respond.

If you have any questions, please contact the Authority at taskforce@ea.govt.nz.

View consultation: Rewarding industrial demand flexibility

The Electricity Authority Te Mana Hiko is seeking feedback from generators, the grid owner and other market participants who may have been substantially affected by the under-frequency event (UFE) of 21 December 2024.

The Electricity Authority’s draft determination is that Transpower as the grid owner is the causer of the UFE.

You can read the reasons in full in the draft determination of causer consultation paper 

Please provide your feedback to compliance@ea.govt.nz by 5pm, Tuesday 8 July 2025.

Find out more.

The Electricity Authority Te Mana Hiko seeks feedback on two related proposals:

• Allowing customers to choose two different retailers; a retailer for consumption (load) and one for their generation
• Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the consumer, distributor and metering equipment provider processes when a consumer switches power.

The Authority suggests these proposed changes will provide real benefits for consumers by allowing innovative retailers to compete for, and reward consumers for, their distributed generation. This should encourage investment in distributed generation, leading to an increase in regional resilience and overall system security.

The Electricity Authority Te Mana Hiko has published a draft two-year roadmap that sets out its work to support investment in battery energy storage systems (BESS). BESS will become increasingly important in the future as New Zealand’s power system relies on more intermittent and variable generation.

The Electricity Authority Te Mana Hiko is seeking feedback on three alternative models for distribution system operation as part of the Future System Operation project to inform its decision-making and next steps. ​

The consultation paper considers the expected capabilities and functions needed from electricity distributors, the system operator, aggregators, and/or various third parties.

The three DSO models they are putting forward are:

Model 1: Total TSO model
Model 2: Hybrid model
Model 3: Total DSO model

This consultation follows on from our discussion paper, Future operation of New Zealand’s power system, which sought feedback on several potential issues that could impact future system operation.