AusNet has submitted a proposal to the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) for a $3.5 billion distribution network upgrade, with the investment aimed at improving reliability and resilience for customers.
The announcement follows more than two years of engagement and research involving more than 16,000 customers to seek feedback on the investment proposals.
AusNet Executive General Manager Electricity Distribution, Andrew Linnie, said the investment would provide the funding necessary to continue to meet customer and community needs to support reliability, safety and electrification.
The $3.5 billion is made up of:
- $1.35 billion to replace ageing assets so the network can continue to operate safely and reliably
- $770 million to increase the capacity of the network, support customer growth and enable more customers to electrify their gas appliances and transport
- $430 million to improve reliability for problem areas on the network and to make AusNet’s network more resilient to extreme weather
- $430 million on digital systems to maintain core services, improve AusNet’s responsiveness to extreme weather events, and uplift customer experience
- $240 million to integrate rooftop solar and large-scale wind and solar generators, putting downwards pressure on wholesale energy prices
Mr Linne said, “We know our customers are facing cost-of-living pressures and we believe we have struck a balance between investing in the network, while keeping energy prices as affordable as possible.
“We have seen a significant increase in frequency and severity of extreme weather events and it’s important we make the network more resilient to these occurrences. We also want to improve reliability for many of our regional customers.”
Mr Linnie said the initiatives and investment proposed are an important step to enable the AusNet network to meet future needs.
The proposal comes following feedback from AusNet customers on the draft plan in late 2024.
AusNet plans are approved by the AER every five years through the Electricity Distribution Price Review (EDPR) process.
The proposal can be found Electricity Distribution Price Review 2026-2031 Engagement | Community Hub.
