Energy retail licence review

Context for this review

In 2021 we foreshadowed with stakeholders that a process would be undertaken to review and update all Victorian energy retail licences. We are now getting that process underway.

We have written to each retailer with a proposal to vary their licences. The changes we are proposing to the licences are predominantly administrative in nature and proposed for one of three reasons:

• to reflect recent changes to the regulation of energy in Victoria, including the passing of the Essential Services Commission (Compliance and Enforcement Powers) Amendment Bill 2021, which requires consequential changes to Victorian energy retail licences
• to improve consistency by removing variation that has arisen in licence conditions by reason of there being amendment to standard licence conditions over time that have not been applied to existing licensees, and
• to remove licence conditions that are no longer required or to promote consistency, where appropriate.

Feedback on the consultation

On 31 January 2022 we wrote to all energy retail licensees with a proposal to vary retail licences. We requested a response to that proposal by 15 March 2022.

On 27 April 2022, we wrote to retailers with a further variation proposal responding to the feedback that was received, and welcomed feedback from other retailers in relation to the proposal. We requested a response to that proposal by 25 May 2022.

Resources

Having considered the two rounds of stakeholder feedback, the commission has now published its final decision on the retail licence review.

On 12 July 2022, we published the commission's final decision on the retail licence review. Variations to retail licences will take effect from 12 September 2022.

Any queries should be directed to licences@esc.vic.gov.au (with 'Retail licence review' in the subject line).

We invited feedback on a further variation proposal between 27 April 2022 and 25 May 2022.

Submissions (second consultation)

Between 31 January 2022 and 15 March 2022, we invited feedback on proposed variations to energy retail licences.

Submissions (first consultation)