Tasmanian energy overview

Electricity

Tasmania is part of the National Electricity Market (NEM), which is a wholesale market through which generators and retailers trade electricity in Australia. It is one of the largest interconnected electricity systems in the world. It covers around 40,000 km of transmission lines and cables, supplying around 9 million customers.

Management of the NEM is the responsibility of the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), whose key roles include:

• Balancing electricity supply and demand by ensuring dispatch of sufficient generation to meet demand; and
• Managing financial market settlements between generators and market customers.

More information on the operation of the NEM can be found in AEMO's National Electricity Market Factsheet (PDF).

Other roles and responsibilities

• The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) has responsibility for making rules which govern the electricity and natural gas markets.
• The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) regulates energy markets in accordance with national energy market legislation and rules.

More information

To read more about Tasmania's electricity system, you can view the Tasmanian Economic Regulator's Energy in Tasmania report.

Tasmania's natural gas market

In 2002 distributed natural gas was introduced in Tasmania. The natural gas transmission and distribution network in Tasmania is not covered, which means it is not regulated by the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) (as it is in other southern and eastern states and territories).

In Tasmania the Gas Act 2000 and the Gas Pipelines Act 2000 provide the overarching legislation which governs the distribution and retailing of natural gas, including the granting of licenses. The Tasmanian gas regulatory framework is currently under review to ensure it remains contemporary and facilitates a safe and efficient Tasmanian gas industry.

Other energy markets

The supply of other fuels in Tasmania including petroleum products, coal and wood is not regulated under specific legislation. Rather, supply of these fuels is governed by more generic legislation such as the Corporations Act 2001 and the Competition and Consumer Act 2010, with monitoring of these activities undertaken by the ACCC.