Consultations and hearings
A regulation is not made, and a fee schedule is not revised, without public consultation. Making a submission is free and open to anyone.
Notice
Every proposed instrument is published here with the period for comment, which will not be shorter than the period the rulemaking regulations require.
Submissions
Anyone may make a submission, in writing, free of charge. Submissions are published unless the maker asks otherwise and gives a reason.
Response
The Authority publishes what it received and how each point was dealt with, including where a submission was not accepted and why.
Calendar
| Matter | Kind | Opens | Closes | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Threshold for a bulk power consumer | Consultation | To be notified | — | Planned |
| Voltage and capacity limits for a microgrid | Consultation | To be notified | — | Planned |
| Engineering values in the technical codes | Consultation | To be notified | — | Planned |
| First review of the fee schedule | Review | Six months after commencement | — | Scheduled |
How a closed consultation is reported
This is the format in which the Authority reports a concluded consultation: what was proposed, who responded, and what was done with each point, including where a submission was not accepted and why.
| Point raised | By | The Authority’s response |
|---|---|---|
| The threshold should be 500 kW, not 1 MW, so that medium industry can contract bilaterally | A chamber of trade and industry | Noted, not accepted at this stage. The Authority has provided for a review within eighteen months and will consider the operating experience then. |
| The concurrence fee should not be charged separately for each affiliate | An industrial group | Not accepted. Each concurrence is a separate verification of a separate affiliation and delivery arrangement. |
| A registrant should not be required to file quantities annually | A registrant | Not accepted. The return records quantities only. No commercial term is sought and none is published. |
| The deficiency procedure should bar a second letter | A law firm | Accepted. Regulation 12(1)(b) now provides that no further communication may raise a matter which could have been raised in the first. |
Dates appear as soon as they are settled. This calendar is not left to go stale.
Hearings
A hearing is held before any refusal of an application, before a condition to which the applicant has objected, where an objection raises a material issue, on every tariff petition, and before a microgrid is permitted to interconnect with the provincial grid.
Attending
Hearings are open. Notice of each is published here with the date, the matter and the parties. A consumer may attend and be heard without a fee and without a lawyer.