Western Australian Consolidated Regulations

ELECTRICITY TRANSMISSION REGULATIONS 1996 - REG 3

3 .         Terms used

        (1)         In these regulations, unless the contrary intention appears — 

        access agreement , in respect of a user —

            (a)         means an agreement between a corporation and the user under which the corporation agrees to provide access services to the user; and

            (b)         if the user is the Electricity Generation Corporation or the Electricity Retail Corporation, includes an agreement between a corporation and the user for the provision of access services to the user that arises as a result of a transfer order under Part 9 Division 3 of the Electricity Corporations Act 2005 ;

        access application means an access application made under regulation 8;

        access information has the meaning given in regulation 14(1);

        access offer means an offer made by a corporation to an applicant to provide the access services requested in an access application made by that applicant and, where the corporation makes an additional offer under regulation 11(4) in relation to the access application, includes that additional offer;

        access services means — 

            (a)         use of system services;

            (b)         common services;

            (c)         connection services;

            (d)         ancillary services;

        affected obligation has the meaning given in regulation 35(2);

        affected person has the meaning given in regulation 35(2);

        alternative services has the meaning given in regulation 11(4);

        ancillary services means the following services — 

            (a)         voltage control;

            (b)         control system services;

            (c)         spinning reserve; and

            (d)         post‑trip management;

        applicable laws means the Act, the Energy Operators (Powers) Act 1979 , the Electricity Act 1945 , the Energy Coordination Act 1994 , the Electricity Industry Act 2004 and the Electricity Corporations Act 2005 ;

        applicant , in respect of an access application, means the person who has made the access application or on whose behalf the access application has been made;

        augment , in relation to the electricity transmission network, means to enhance or expand the electricity transmission network;

        business day means any day other than a Saturday, Sunday and any day that is a public holiday or bank holiday in the Perth metropolitan area;

        common services means a network service that ensures the integrity of the electricity transmission network and benefits all users and that cannot practically be allocated to users on a locational basis;

        connection means the electrical equipment that allows the transfer of electricity between the electricity transmission network and an electrical system that is not part of that network and includes any transformers or switchgear at the point of interconnection (including those that operate at a nominal voltage of less than 66kV and a nominal frequency of 50Hz) that are necessary for that transfer but does not include the lines and switchgear at the connection that form part of the electricity transmission network;

        connection agreement means an agreement between a corporation and one or more controllers in respect of a connection who are not users in respect of the connection under which the controller or controllers agree to comply with the Technical Code and any relevant parts of these regulations;

        connection point means an entry point or an exit point;

        connection services , in respect of a connection, means the establishment and maintenance of that connection;

        contract maximum demand in respect of a connection means the contract maximum demand (expressed in kW) specified in the access agreement in respect of the connection (if any);

        control system services means the 24‑hour control of the power system through monitoring, switching and dispatch which is provided through control centres and SCADA and communication equipment;

        controllers in respect of a connection means all of those persons who engage in one or more of the activities of owning, controlling and operating the plant or equipment transferring electricity to or taking electricity from the electricity transmission network at that connection;

        corporation has the meaning given to that term in section 2 of the Act;

        declared sent‑out capacity in respect of a generating unit is determined in accordance with regulation 38;

        disconnect , in respect of a connection, means to operate switching equipment so as to prevent the transfer of electricity through the connection;

        Electricity Generation Corporation means the body established by section 4(1)(a) of the Electricity Corporations Act 2005 ;

        Electricity Networks Corporation means the body established by section 4(1)(b) of the Electricity Corporations Act 2005 ;

        Electricity Retail Corporation means the body established by section 4(1)(c) of the Electricity Corporations Act 2005 ;

        electricity transmission network , in respect of a corporation, means the parts of the corporation’s system prescribed in regulation 5(1);

        embedded generating unit means a generating unit which supplies on‑site loads or loads at the same connection or which is connected to an electricity distribution network;

        encumbrance includes a mortgage, pledge, lien, charge or other security interest;

        entry point means a connection at which electricity is more likely to be transferred to the electricity transmission network than to be transferred from the electricity transmission network;

        exempt connection means a connection which is not an existing connection;

        existing connection means a connection which exists as at 1 January 1997;

        exit point means a connection at which electricity is more likely to be transferred from the electricity transmission network than to be transferred to the electricity transmission network;

        fee schedule , in respect of a financial year, means the fee schedule published in respect of that financial year by a corporation;

        force majeure event has the meaning given in regulation 35(1);

        generating unit means an electricity generator and related equipment essential to the electricity generator’s operation, which together function as a single entity;

        good electricity industry practice has the meaning given in regulation 28(1);

        network planning criteria means the criteria prepared by a corporation under regulation 27;

        network services in respect of the electricity transmission network means the use of the electricity transmission network to transport electricity, including — 

            (a)         network transmission services, including — 

                  (i)         the electricity transmission network’s ability to transfer electricity;

                  (ii)         configuration switching capability at nodes;

                  (iii)         network security and stabilisation capability services; and

                  (iv)         voltage and reactive control capability at nodes;

            (b)         network operation systems, including — 

                  (i)         remote operation services;

                  (ii)         voice and data communication services;

                  (iii)         network performance monitoring services;

                  (iv)         real time operational information and control capability;

                  (v)         operational information (including plant characteristics);

                  (vi)         generation scheduling; and

                  (vii)         maintenance services;

                and

            (c)         the maintenance of the security of the electricity transmission network, including frequency control;

        outage means any planned or unplanned full or partial unavailability of plant or equipment;

        post‑trip management means the maintenance of system security in the aftermath of trips;

        preliminary assessment , in relation to an application, means a preliminary opinion of a corporation, provided for the general information of the applicant, as to the technical feasibility of the proposal in the application, the suitability of the location of the proposed connection, the likely availability of spare capacity at that proposed connection and likely extent of any augmentation;

        Regional Power Corporation means the body established by section 4(1)(d) of the Electricity Corporations Act 2005 ;

        related body corporate means — 

            (a)         in respect of a corporation, a subsidiary (as defined in section 3 of the Electricity Corporations Act 2005 ) of the corporation;

            (b)         in respect of another body corporate, a body corporate that is related to the first‑mentioned body by virtue of section 50 of the Corporations Act 2001 of the Commonwealth;

        renewable energy source means an energy source other than a fossil fuel or a man‑made nuclear fission process;

        response in respect of an access application means the response given under regulation 8(5);

        RTU means a Remote Terminal Unit installed within a substation to enable monitoring and control of a facility from a control centre;

        SCADA means Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition;

        sensitive information has the meaning given in regulation 14(2);

        South West interconnected system has the meaning given to that term in section 3 of the Electricity Industry Act 2004 ;

        spinning reserve means the ability to immediately and automatically increase generation or reduce demand in response to a fall in frequency;

        supervising officers means — 

            (a)         the directors and the chief executive officer of a corporation; and

            (b)         the senior managers of a corporation whose duties include providing accounting, financial, audit or legal services, (by whatever name known);

        taxes means taxes, levies, imposts, deductions, charges, withholdings and duties imposed by any authority (including stamp and transaction duties), together with any related interest, penalties, fines and expenses in connection with them, except if imposed on the overall net income of a corporation;

        Technical Code , in relation to a corporation, means the Technical Code prepared by the corporation under regulation 26;

        transmission employee means an employee or officer of the Regional Power Corporation who is engaged wholly or partly in those parts of that corporation’s business involving the granting of access to electricity transmission capacity or the planning, operation, maintenance, development or augmentation of the electricity transmission network;

        use of system services means a network service provided to a user for use of the electricity transmission network for the transportation of electricity that can be reasonably allocated to a user on a locational basis;

        voltage control means keeping network voltages within operational limits in normal operation and in the aftermath of trips by automatic regulation of generation MVA output or by transmission voltage control equipment such as capacitor banks and automatic tap‑changers.

        (2)         In these regulations, references to the electricity transmission network, or to the electricity transmission network of a corporation, are —

            (a)         in relation to the Electricity Networks Corporation, references to the electricity transmission network operated by that corporation; and

            (b)         in relation to the Regional Power Corporation, references to any electricity transmission network operated by that corporation.

        [Regulation 3 amended in Gazette 28 Sep 2001 p. 5357; 28 Dec 2001 p. 6718; 22 Jun 2004 p. 2165‑6; 24 Jun 2005 p. 2752; 31 Mar 2006 p. 1326‑9 and 1338; 25 Aug 2006 p. 3497.]