By Nicola Falcon, AEMO Group Manager of Forecasting, System Design & Engineering
The Australian energy sector is undergoing a transformation that is unprecedented in rate, scale and scope, and the industry is working hard to keep up with the rapid change.
As Australia’s energy system and market operator, the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) works closely with our members to keep the lights on and the gas flowing for all Australians, 24/7.
As part of its functions, AEMO provides planning and forecasting information to support efficient decision-making and long-term investment in Australia’s energy markets and infrastructure services to assist industry and government in their operation.
AEMO’s suite of forecasting and planning reports project the evolution of the National Electricity Market (NEM) and the eastern and south-east Australian gas network across the long term, which is critical in guiding meaningful progress and developing a strategic vision for the future development of Australia’s energy system.
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Committed to improving its publications to better meet stakeholder needs, AEMO invites feedback and written submissions from industry stakeholders to increase the accuracy, robustness and reasonableness of conclusions and insights of publications.
This includes the annual NEM Electricity Statement of Opportunities (ESOO) and the Integrated System Plan (ISP) – a comprehensive evaluation of the likely changes that will be occurring over the next 20 years across the National Electricity Market (NEM).
AEMO has this month published a Consultation Paper on the proposed scenarios, inputs, assumptions, methodology, timeline and consultation process of these publications and is calling for feedback to improve the quality of the input data and assumptions used in AEMO’s planning and forecasting work.
For the 2019-20 ISP and 2019 ESOO, the market operator intends to build on the scenario analysis approach used last year to identify the requirements for optimal power system development under a range of different future scenarios. It also seeks to identify requirements for managing increasing uncertainties and the key material issues that impact reliability, generation, and transmission development.
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AEMO welcomes evidence based written submissions on the matters raised in this consultation paper by Wednesday, 20 March 2019 via email to forecasting.planning@aemo.com.au.
Additional suggestions on ways AEMO can improve its ISP or ESOO, other than the topics outlined in the Consultation Paper, are also welcomed.
Following receipt of written submissions, AEMO will take further steps to resolve any outstanding issues of concern and finalise the scenarios, inputs and assumptions. Further details will be provided via the AEMO website.
