Electricity distribution regulatory price reset

As an electricity distribution network business, the prices we charge customers are regulated by the Australian Energy Regulator who regulate all energy networks.

Every five years we submit a Regulatory Proposal to the Australian Energy Regulator that must outline:

• the services we will offer
• the costs we are likely to incur
• prices we propose to charge our customers during the five-year regulatory period.

The Australian Energy Regulator only approves the proposal if it complies with legislation and promotes the long-term interests of our customers.

Proposal for 2026-2031

The Regulatory Proposal for 2026-31 will include:

• our story and vision for the future
• the services we offer (and which services are regulated)
• an expenditure forecast
• incentive schemes
• how our costs are recovered (including recovery timeframes)
• the rate of return we earn
• a forecast of network usage
• prices (including their levels, structure and how they are adjusted).

To develop the five-year proposal over the coming two years we will:

• listen to and address customer feedback
• consider the services we provide
• forecast the costs of providing our services
• calculate the prices required to recover the forecast costs.

To ensure that our plans best reflect the needs of our customers, we are engaging with customers in a variety of ways.

You can view more about our engagement approach here.

2021-2026 proposal

In April 2021, the Australian Energy Regulator made its Final Decision on our electricity distribution Regulatory Proposal for the 2021-2026 period.

The decision and proposal allowed us to deliver customer benefits through technology innovations, including:

• connecting over 37,000 new residential customers and 500 business customers
• replacing or reinforcing over 7,300 electricity poles
• facilitating the connection of over 110 MW of new renewable energy generation
• adding 60 MWh of new battery storage capacity to the grid
• investing in new technology.

You can view the 2021-26 Regulatory Proposal and decision here.

As an electricity distribution network service provider, we are subject to economic regulation by the Australian Energy Regulator, under the National Electricity Rules.

Our revenue is approved in five-year cycles by the Australian Energy Regulator and, in the build-up to each new term, we submit a proposal to them which outlines our plans for the next regulatory period (the five years from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2031) and how we expect to fund them.

As a part of the development of our regulatory proposal, our engagement with you is integral to shaping our proposal and the services we provide. This collaboration has become all the more important than ever as we start to develop the prices we will charge customers for the next regulatory period.

A Customer Voice Group brings together a randomly selected group of ten to fifteen people to represent a particular lived experience broadly. This includes customers with lived experience of disability, mental health difficulties, young people, seniors, First Nations peoples and customers from diverse cultural backgrounds. There will be six groups, and they will support the work of the People’s Panel by providing different points of view that will feed into the panel.

A First Nations Customer Voice Group will aim to capture the voices of First Nations Peoples who:

• live or work in Jemena's electricity network and surrounds (Melbourne's north-west)
• would like to have a say on the future electricity network.

If you are selected to take part you will have the opportunity to meet with other Jemena customers from all walks of life. You will hear from engaging speakers and discuss the issues involved in small groups, with facilitators helping everyone to be heard.

You do not need to have any prior knowledge of the topics – all the information you need will be provided during the sessions.

Meetings will predominantly be held online from 5.30pm to 8.30pm across the following dates:

• Session 1: Thursday 26 October 2023
• Session 2: Tuesday 21 November 2023
• Session 3: Tuesday 13 February 2024
• Session 4: Thursday 14 March 2024

First Nations Customer Voice Group members will be paid $350 for each session, $1,400 in total for sessions attended.

If members are required to attend an in-person session travel reimbursements (taxi, Uber, public transport) will be provided.