Below we present key information on our draft decisions for Water NSW’s rural bulk water services for customers in the Murray valley. This information is not exhaustive and should be viewed in conjunction with our Draft Report and Draft Determination.

Draft decision on costs for the Murray valley

Under our draft decisions, Water NSW’s costs are higher than those used to set prices for the 2017 Determination. The customer share of:

  • operating expenditure for Murray valley has increased by 31.7% but is 12.4% lower than proposed by Water NSW
  • capital expenditure for Murray valley has increased by 167.1% and is 0.5% higher than proposed by Water NSW
  • Murray Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) costs for Murray valley have decreased by 0.2% and are 36.5% lower than proposed by Water NSW.

Offsetting these increases, the cost of capital has decreased from 3.1% to 1.3%.

Draft decision on customer share of revenue requirement for Murray valley over 2021 Determination

Notes: Data has been rounded to the nearest percentage - total may not sum to 100% due to rounding. UOM is the pay-back of "unders and overs mechanism" balance from the 2014-17 regulatory period.
Data source: IPART analysis.

What drives the change in costs for Murray valley since the 2017 determination period?

Data source: IPART analysis.

Draft decision on prices for the Murray valley

Under the ACCC rules, we are required to set prices for Water NSW that recover its full efficient costs of providing its bulk water services (net of any Government contributions). The table below sets out our draft decision on Water NSW’s prices, as well as prices that would recover Water NSW’s proposed costs on a 4 year full cost recovery (FCR) basis.

Draft decision on bulk water charges – Murray valley ($/ML, $2021-22)

Current 2020-21 ($2020-21) 4 year FCR Proposed Draft Report Change current to proposed Change current to Draft Report Draft Report to proposed
Bulk water charges excluding MDBA costs ($/ML)
High security $1.66 $2.28 $2.12 37.3% 27.7% -7.0%
General security $0.81 $1.00 $0.93 23.5% 14.8% -7.0%
Usage $2.06 $2.85 $2.65 38.3% 28.6% -7.0%
Bulk water MDBA charges ($/ML)
High security entitlement $7.83 $12.82 $8.70 63.7% 11.1% -32.1%
General security entitlement $3.83 $5.65 $3.83 47.5% 0.0% -32.2%
Usage $1.61 $2.67 $1.81 65.8% 12.4% -32.2%
Bulk water charges including MDBA costs ($/ML)
High security entitlement $9.49 $15.10 $10.82 59.1% 14.0% -28.3%
General security entitlement $4.64 $6.65 $4.76 43.3% 2.6% -28.4%
Usage $3.67 $5.52 $4.46 50.4% 21.5% -19.2%

Note: Water NSW’s proposed prices are based on prices that recover Water NSW’s proposed costs over a 4 year period on a full cost recovery basis.
Source: Water NSW proposal and IPART analysis.

Indicative bills under our draft decisions for the Murray valley

The table below shows indicative bills for 2021-22 under our draft decisions, as well as indicative bills that would arise from Water NSW’s proposed prices (based on full cost recovery over 4 years).

Indicative annual bulk water bills including MDBA costs for Murray valley ($2021-22)

Estimated entitlements (ML) Estimated usage (% of entitlement) Current 2020-21 ($2020-21) 4 year FCR Proposed Draft Report Change current to proposed Change current to Draft Report Draft Report to proposed
High Security
Small user 5 70% $60 $95 $70 57.2% 15.6% -26.5%
Medium user 50 70% $603 $948 $697 57.3% 15.6% -26.5%
Large user 500 70% $6,030 $9,482 $6,971 57.3% 15.6% -26.5%
General Security
Small user 5 40% $31 $44 $33 45.0% 7.1% -26.1%
Medium user 75 40% $458 $664 $491 45.0% 7.1% -26.1%
Large user 700 40% $4,276 $6,201 $4,581 45.0% 7.1% -26.1%

Source: Water NSW proposal and IPART analysis.

The indicative bills shown below represent indicative bills combining Water NSW’s prices for its bulk water services and the Water Administration Ministerial Corporation’s (WAMC’s) prices for its water management services.

High security bills for Murray valley (medium user)

Note: We used actual entitlement numbers and allocations data in defining “small", "medium" and "large" users. We note this differs to the approach we used for our Issues Paper valley-specific information. See our WAMC Draft Report for further information on WAMC bills.
Data source: Water NSW proposal and IPART analysis.

General security bills for Murray valley (medium user)

Note: We used actual entitlement numbers and allocations data in defining “small", "medium" and "large" users. We note this differs to the approach we used for our Issues Paper valley-specific information. See our WAMC Draft Report for further information on WAMC bills.

Data source: Water NSW proposal and IPART analysis.

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Water NSW’s proposed costs, prices and indicative bills as presented in our Issues Paper released in September 2020