The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) has agreed to extend the date by which TasNetworks must publish their Project Assessment Draft Report (PADR) for the Meeting Network Planning Requirements at George Town project, to 31 May 2026.
TasNetworks requested to extend the publication date to allow sufficient time to incorporate the Draft 2026 ISP data and model into their project. They contend the scale of the project justifies the use of ISP market modelling and that incorporating more contextually relevant data will minimise the potential for changes within the project between the PADR and project assessment conclusions report (PACR). TasNetworks provided assurance to the AER that the granting of this PADR extension will not impact their ability to deliver the project to their required timing and this delay to the will avoid additional costs in manual modelling to meet the current deadline.
In making our decision, we considered the effect the proposed extension on the quality and timeliness of the regulatory investment test for transmission process, and whether the extension would hinder TasNetworks’ ability to deliver the project in time to meet their timeframe for the identified need.
Following this decision, TasNetworks must:
- publish the PADR associated with the Meeting Network Planning Requirements at George Town project by 31 May 2026
- consult on this report for a minimum of 6 weeks
- publish the Project Assessment Conclusions Report as soon as practicable consistent with clause 5.16.4 of the National Electricity Rules.