The Australian Energy Market Commission’s generator technical performance standards rule (the GTPS rule), covering a range of technical performance standards for generators, is now in effect.
The rules were made following extensive consultation with key stakeholders who informed the Commission’s decision making, along with expert technical advice.
Now that the rule has been made, the responsible parties – being generators, network businesses and the system operator – are working through the implementation of the new rules.
The GTPS rule achieves the right trade-off between lowest cost solutions for consumers and keeping the system safe and secure.
Generators play a fundamental role, not just in supplying energy but also in helping AEMO and network businesses keep the lights on. Their role in keeping the power system secure comes from their technical capability to control their voltage and frequency, and their ability to stay connected even when there is a major disturbance to the power system.
The GTPS rule was requested by AEMO and provides a foundation for a secure, least cost transition as new generators, often with different technical characteristics, seek to connect to the national electricity grid. The change tightens some standards where needed and sets clearer roles and responsibilities so all parties – generators, networks and the market operator, know what they have to do when negotiating the required standards for a new connection in a particular location.
The access standards, and the framework for the negotiation of performance standards, minimises barriers to entry by allowing for the specific technical capabilities of different generation technologies.
Visit the website for the rule changes.
