The COVID-19 pandemic has had important economic and social repercussions across the globe that also impacted the energy sector. As an immediate response in March 2020, CEER Members decided to establish an ad hoc working group, chaired by CEER Vice-President Jean-Laurent Lastelle, to exchange best practices in these unprecedented times. In other words, the group focuses on assessing how the energy sector was affected by this pandemic, as well as the steps that governments, regulators, and others in the energy sector took in response to this crisis. Reports published by the working group can be found here.
Category: News
News
OOCUR – COVID-19 Crisis Proves That The Internet Is Indeed A Caribbean Right (newsletter)
The coronavirus pandemic has, in the most emphatic way, shown us all just how interconnected everything and everyone is. A worldwide race is underway to minimize human interactions in order to avoid a global catastrophe.
More information here:
https://mailchi.mp/4ed380761982/the-caribbean-regulator-the-april-edition-2020
NARUC – Compilation of COVID-19 News & Resources
NARUC is committed to caring for the health and well-being of our members and employees and playing an active role in supporting local health officials and government leaders. Read about the latest decisions being made by NARUC, as well as actions being taken in response to COVID-19 at the federal and state level.
More information here:
https://www.naruc.org/compilation-of-covid-19-news-resources/
MEDREG – Gas Working Group adapts its deliverables to the Covid-19 implications (press release)
The Gas Working Group (GAS WG) held a virtual meeting through video conference on 22 April to carry on with its planned 2020 deliverables, composing with the Coronavirus pandemic restrictions and consequences.
Indeed, due to the pandemic and resulting flight restrictions, the MEDREG Training on “Unbundling and TPA in gas and electricity markets” initially scheduled in Istanbul in March 2020 had to be postponed to a later stage.
With regards to the report on “Design Mechanism for Gas Market able to Foster Energy Transition”, which also forms part of the 2020 gas deliverables, the Group defined its structure. It will include the emergency measures National Regulatory Authorities took in the gas sector to counter the negative effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the gas markets.
As for the study visit foreseen for the Egyptian Gas Regulator (GASREG) to explore market monitoring of the transmission and distribution segments in the newly opened Egyptian gas market, the Group will decide whether to develop it physically or through digital means according to the evolution of the Covid Pandemic.
Finally, the 2020-2022 MEDREG Action Plan for the GAS WG and the UfM GAS platform 2020-2022 work program were presented to members, collecting feedback and suggestions on how to carry out the deliverables.
More information here:
http://www.medreg-regulators.org/PG/Eventdetail.aspx?IDUNI=t1n4qhh2bw2iwhdmfxizo4lo1136
ERRA – Members’ Regulatory Response Measures to COVID-19
The impacts of COVID-19 pandemic across the energy sector require immediate joint actions and measures by policy makers, regulators and utilities. The measures taken by ERRA member regulators and national utilities serve the purposes of sharing best regulatory practices.
More information here:
CEER – Members guarantee energy supply during lockdown (press release)
Saving lives is the number one priority during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) crisis. Hospitals, including mobilised ones, need a guaranteed electricity supply for normal functioning and for ventilators to save lives. Keeping the lights on and the markets functioning is the normal job of the energy regulator. At no time is the crucial role of the energy sector more important than during a global health crisis. The entire energy sector, national energy regulators and ministries are working hard to support the front-line medical systems and the daily lives of millions of European citizens in lockdown.
More information here:
https://www.ceer.eu/ceer-press-release-on-covid-measures-and-impact-on-regulators#
CAMPUT – Covid-19 Resource Page
We are in unprecedented times.
This page will provide links to what other regulators are doing.
The 2020 CAMPUT Annual Conference: CAMPUT is working to change the dates of the upcoming Annual Conference. As soon as we have arrangements confirmed we will communicate directly with delegates, speakers, moderators, sponsors, community fund supporters and others. We will also post the information online. Thank you for your patience.
The 2020 Energy Regulation Course: CAMPUT is postponing the course until July. When arrangements are confirmed we will open registration.
More information here:
ARIAE- Regulators’ actions to face COVID-19 (Spanish)
AEMC – Progress update on COVID-19
As the COVID-19 health and economic crisis continues, Australia’s energy market bodies are working very closely together and thinking ahead on how best to protect consumers and support industry.
Rule maker AEMC, system operator AEMO and the Australian Energy Regulator are focussed on three key priorities:
- keeping the power system resilient
- giving industry some breathing space
- and protecting the momentum on key market reforms to benefit consumers.
Together, the market bodies are continuing to act on prioritising regulatory work to help the energy sector ride out the pandemic.
Today we are releasing more details on our COVID-19 power plan which looks at how to ease regulatory pressure on the energy sector during this crisis.
Our draft plan is being circulated for industry feedback today so we can work with governments, consumer representatives and industry on solutions. This plan adjusts to the current reality while protecting the most important energy market reforms already underway to deliver a cheaper, fairer, lower emissions power sector for consumers.
We want to strike a balance on what work needs to continue, what can be slowed down and what can be deferred.
Our top priorities will be power system security and projects that support consumers and keep industry financially viable. To this end we have developed objectives and criteria to guide ongoing workplan priorities and rule timeframes.
But we are also insulating important, fundamental and ongoing work on the power system because we still need to keep prices down, keep the market working efficiently and transition to a low-emissions energy future.
Importantly, AEMO’s own important work on implementing the critical five-minute settlement reform will not stop. This critical market reform will reward fast-response energy generation like batteries, demand response providers and new generation gas peaker plants. But it does require a large-scale IT response by the industry and to that end the proposal is to pause requirements on industry for 12 months to take financial pressure off during this economically challenging time. This will change the start date of 1 July 2021.
Other key projects to continue are:
- Interim reliability and security initiatives as agreed at March COAG Energy Council.
- Work on developing a two-sided market, reforming access to the grid and introducing demand response mechanism into the market.
- Progressing two recent rule changes critical to power system security:
The bodies are meeting weekly as part of the Energy Coordination Mechanism – a group of government and industry leaders tasked by COAG to coordinate a national COVID-19 response on energy supply.
After consulting with industry, we expect to have a final COVID-19 power plan by the end of April.
John Pierce AO
AEMC Chair
More information here:
https://www.aemc.gov.au/news-centre/media-releases/progress-update-covid-19