Metering and the contestable electricity market in Australia

Dramatic changes have occurred in the Australian electricity industry over the past few years. These changes closely parallel those occurring in many other parts of the world. Australia is a large country with a small population, with many state governments and therefore numerous regulators. It was therefore assured that some unique solutions and compromises would evolve to allow Australia to move down the path of a deregulated electricity market. As metering is an integral part of any electricity market, these solutions and compromises have had a marked effect on the electricity metering industry in Australia. This paper briefly outlines the effects on the electricity metering in Australia, and why these changes will continue