The Electricity Supply Act 1995 is the key legislation setting out the powers and duties of electricity network operators and retailers in NSW.

IPART has the following key functions with respect to electricity network operators under the Electricity Supply Act:

  1. to make recommendations to the Minister for Energy and Environment about the granting, variation, cancellation and conditions of licences;
  2. to regulate distributors’ compliance with those licences, recommend enforcement or corrective action for non-compliance, and report annually to the Minister for Energy and Environment on the extent to which distributors comply with their licences; and
  3. to monitor distributors’ compliance with their electricity safety obligations under the Electricity Supply Act and its Regulations. For more information on our safety monitoring role, see Energy Networks Safety, Reliability and Compliance; and
  4. as the Scheme Regulator and Scheme Administrator under the Energy Savings Scheme.

IPART does not set electricity retail or distribution prices. IPART has responsibility for monitoring the performance and competitiveness of the energy retail market for small customers, under the National Energy Retail Law (NSW) No37a of 2012.  For more information about IPART’s monitoring role, see Retail prices.