Oz Jemena Seeks Feedback on NSW Gas Plan
Australian gas distributor Jemena is seeking feedback on its Gas Networks Draft 2020 Plan, which outlines its future plans for the New South Wales (NSW) gas distribution network, reducing prices and maintaining reliability of the network.
“We are now calling on customers to provide feedback on the draft plan as part of the second round of customer consultation,” Jemena managing director Frank Tudor said January 31, the day the Gas Networks Draft 2020 Plan was released. The company delivers natural gas to close to 1.4mn homes and businesses in NSW.
The Jemena Gas Networks Draft 2020 Plan was developed following consultation with residential and business customers to ensure it meets their needs over the next five years, Jemena said. The draft plan is available for customer feedback over a five-week period before it is submitted to the Australian Energy Regulator in mid-2019.
Jemena said that throughout consultations for the plan, customers consistently highlighted energy affordability as a priority.
“Affordability was an issue that almost every customer raised with us during the first phase of engagement. Wholesale gas prices have been rising and customers have been feeling the impact. This is why we are doing our part to place downward pressure on prices,” said Tudor.
Australian domestic market, especially the east coast market, is riddled with regional problems of supply, leading to price spikes.
The draft plan proposes to reduce residential network prices by an average of A$192 (US$138) and commercial network prices by an average of A$9,289 over a five-year period. “This is in addition to an average saving of A$188 in residential network prices in the previous five-year period,” Tudoe added.
Preparing the gas network to support increased use of renewable energy was also a top priority for customers, Jemena said.
“Customers told us they expect us to innovate and plan for the future so they can enjoy gas for many years to come. Our Power to Gas trial, called Project H2GO, is an example of how we will utilise technology to make the network greener. In partnership with the Federal Government’s Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) we will test how to repurpose our network so it can store hydrogen gas, generated from solar and wind power,” said Tudor.
“Over the long-term, we will continue to embrace new technologies that transform how customers use energy.”