{"id":"electricity-corporations-electricity-generation-and-retail-corporation-area-of-operation-regulations-2015","name":"Electricity Corporations (Electricity Generation and Retail Corporation Area of Operation) Regulations 2015","slug":"electricity-corporations-electricity-generation-and-retail-corporation-area-of-operation-regulations","collection":"regulation","jurisdiction":"wa","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":174651,"registerId":"wa-electricity-corporations-electricity-generation-and-retail-corporation-area-of-operation-regulations-2015-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-05","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Electricity Corporations (Electricity Generation and Retail Corporation Area of Operation) Regulations 2015","content":"![Crest]()Western Australia\n\nElectricity Corporations Act 2005\n\nElectricity Corporations (Areas of Operation) Regulations 2015\n\nWestern Australia\n\nElectricity Corporations (Areas of Operation) Regulations 2015\n\nContents\n\n1. Citation 1\n\n2. Commencement 1\n\n3. Supply of gas to parts of the State not served by South West interconnected system 1\n\n4. Providing stand‑alone power systems within distribution licence area 1\n\n5. Transmission and distribution outside area of operations in relation to relevant Aboriginal communities (Act s. 52(4)) 2\n\nNotes\n\nCompilation table 4\n\nOther notes 4\n\nDefined terms\n\n  \n\nElectricity Corporations Act 2005\n\nElectricity Corporations (Areas of Operation)  Regulations 2015\n\n##### 1. Citation\n\n\t\tThese regulations are the *Electricity Corporations (Areas of Operation) Regulations 2015*.\n\n[Regulation 1 amended: SL 2021/1 r. 4.]\n\n##### 2. Commencement\n\nThese regulations come into operation as follows —\n\n(a) regulations 1 and 2 — on the day on which these regulations are published in the *Gazette*;\n\n(b) the rest of the regulations — on the day after that day.\n\n##### 3. Supply of gas to parts of the State not served by South West interconnected system\n\nThe Electricity Generation and Retail Corporation is authorised under section 37(5) of the Act to perform its function of supplying gas under section 35(b)(i) of the Act in all parts of the State not served by the South West interconnected system.\n\n##### 4. Providing stand‑alone power systems within distribution licence area\n\n(1) In this regulation —\n\ndistribution licence has the meaning given in the *Electricity Industry Act 2004* section 3(1);\n\ndistribution licence area means the area specified, as at regulation commencement day, under the *Electricity Industry Act 2004* section 5 in the distribution licence held by the Electricity Networks Corporation;\n\nregulation commencement day means the day on which the *Electricity Corporations (Electricity Generation and Retail Corporation Area of Operation) Amendment Regulations 2021* regulation 5 comes into operation;\n\nstand‑alone power system has the meaning given in the *Electricity Industry Act 2004* section 3(1).\n\n(2) The Electricity Networks Corporation is authorised under section 43(3) of the Act to perform its function of providing stand‑alone power systems under section 41(ba) of the Act in the part of the State that is its distribution licence area.\n\n[Regulation 4 inserted: SL 2021/1 r. 5.]\n\n##### 5. Transmission and distribution outside area of operations in relation to relevant Aboriginal communities (Act s. 52(4))\n\n(1) In this regulation —\n\nrelevant Aboriginal community means any of the following Aboriginal communities as defined in the *Aboriginal Communities Act 1979* section 3 —\n\n(a) Barrel Well;\n\n(b) Kardaloo (Wandanooka);\n\n(c) Kurrawang;\n\ntransmission and distribution functions means the functions set out in section 50(b), (g) and (j) of the Act.\n\n(2) The Regional Power Corporation is authorised under section 52(4) of the Act to perform transmission and distribution functions in respect of electricity systems in the part of the State served by the South West interconnected system in relation to the transportation of electricity for consumption on premises that are —\n\n(a) owned, occupied or leased by, or by the members of, a relevant Aboriginal community; or\n\n(b) used solely or principally for the purposes of a relevant Aboriginal community.\n\n[Regulation 5 inserted: SL 2023/79 r. 4.]\n\n![]()\n\nNotes\n\nThis is a compilation of the *Electricity Corporations (Areas of Operation) Regulations 2015* and includes amendments made by other written laws. For provisions that have come into operation see the compilation table.\n\nCompilation table\n\n| **Citation** | **Published** | **Commencement** |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| *Electricity Corporations (Electricity Generation and Retail Corporation Area of Operation) Regulations 2015* 1 | 20 Oct 2015 p. 4293 | r. 1 and 2: 20 Oct 2015 (see r. 2(a));   Regulations other than r. 1 and 2: 21 Oct 2015 (see r. 2(b)) |\n| *Electricity Corporations (Electricity Generation and Retail Corporation Area of Operation) Amendment Regulations 2021* | SL 2021/1 15 Jan 2021 | r. 1 and 2: 15 Jan 2021 (see r. 2(a));   Regulations other than r. 1 and 2: 16 Jan 2021 (see r. 2(b)) |\n| *Electricity Corporations (Areas of Operation) Amendment Regulations 2023* | SL 2023/79 20 Jun 2023 | r. 1 and 2: 20 Jun 2023 (see r. 2(a));   Regulations other than r. 1 and 2: 21 Jun 2023 (see r. 2(b)) |\n\n\nOther notes\n\n1 Now known as the *Electricity Corporations (Areas of Operation) Regulations 2015;* citation changed (see note under r. 1).\n\nDefined terms\n\n*[This is a list of terms defined and the provisions where they are defined. The list is not part of the law.]*\n\n**Defined term Provision(s)**\n\ndistribution licence 4(1)\n\ndistribution licence area 4(1)\n\nregulation commencement day 4(1)\n\nrelevant Aboriginal community 5(1)\n\nstand-alone power system 4(1)\n\ntransmission and distribution functions 5(1)\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation has remained tightly scoped to its original purpose of defining geographic operational boundaries for state electricity corporations. The 2021 and 2023 amendments added specific new authorisations (stand-alone power systems and three Aboriginal communities respectively), but these represent incremental extensions within the existing framework rather than mission creep. The core function — carving out exceptions to the general rule that corporations stay in their lanes — remains unchanged since 2015."},"complexity_factors":["Only 5 regulations total, with 2 being purely administrative (citation and commencement)","Minimal cross-referencing — only references to specific sections of the Electricity Corporations Act 2005 and Electricity Industry Act 2004","5 defined terms, all contained within the regulations themselves rather than an extensive interpretation section","Simple conditional logic — essentially 'Corporation X is authorised to do Y in Z area'","No nested exceptions or provisos; each regulation stands alone with straightforward geographic or functional limits","Legislation remains tightly focused on its original purpose without significant scope creep"],"plain_english_summary":"These regulations set out specific geographic and functional boundaries for Western Australia's state-owned electricity corporations, essentially telling them where and what they are allowed to do.\n\n**What it does:**\n- **Regulation 3** lets the Electricity Generation and Retail Corporation (Synergy) supply natural gas to remote areas of Western Australia that aren't connected to the main South West power grid (places like the Kimberley, Pilbara, and Goldfields).\n- **Regulation 4** allows the Electricity Networks Corporation (Western Power) to install and operate **stand-alone power systems** — think solar panels with batteries or diesel generators for individual properties — within its metro and regional network area. This covers places where connecting to the main grid is too expensive or impractical.\n- **Regulation 5** permits the Regional Power Corporation (Horizon Power) to build and maintain transmission lines and distribution networks for three specific Aboriginal communities (Barrel Well, Kardaloo/Wandanooka, and Kurrawang) even though these communities technically sit within the South West grid area normally served by Western Power.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- **Synergy** — can sell gas in remote WA.\n- **Western Power** — can offer off-grid power solutions to customers in its usual service area.\n- **Horizon Power** — can maintain electricity infrastructure for specific Aboriginal communities that would otherwise fall between the cracks of the two corporations' territories.\n- **Residents and businesses** in remote WA, particularly those in the three named Aboriginal communities, who get clarity on which power company serves them.\n\n**Why it matters:**\nWestern Australia has a split electricity market. The South West has one government-owned corporation (Western Power for networks, Synergy for retail), while the rest of the state is served by Horizon Power. These regulations prevent turf wars by clearly authorising specific activities that would otherwise breach the corporations' geographic boundaries. The 2021 and 2023 updates reflect evolving energy needs — particularly the shift toward decentralised renewable energy (solar/battery systems) and ensuring remote Aboriginal communities don't get stranded between bureaucratic jurisdictions."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"Yes. The original 2015 regulations established authorisation for the Electricity Generation and Retail Corporation to supply gas outside the South West interconnected system (reg 3). Amendments broadened scope: reg 4 (inserted SL 2021/1 r.5) authorises the Electricity Networks Corporation to provide stand‑alone power systems in its distribution licence area, and reg 5 (inserted SL 2023/79 r.4) authorises the Regional Power Corporation to perform transmission and distribution functions for three named Aboriginal communities within the SWIS. These additions (2021, 2023) extended the range of permitted activities and the populations/geographies covered."},"complexity_factors":["Cross‑references to multiple Acts: Electricity Corporations Act 2005 (authorising sections cited in regs), Electricity Industry Act 2004 (definitions for 'distribution licence' and 'stand‑alone power system'), and Aboriginal Communities Act 1979 (definitions of listed communities).","Several narrow, specific authorisations rather than broad regulatory rules (regs 3, 4, 5), reducing operational ambiguity but requiring reading across statutes.","Amendment history that incrementally expanded scope (insertion of reg 4 in SL 2021/1 and reg 5 in SL 2023/79) — users must track versions and commencement timings.","Defined timing term ('regulation commencement day') creates a temporal dependency for when certain authorisations apply (reg 4(1)).","Geographic specificity (South West interconnected system; a named 'distribution licence area'; three named Aboriginal communities) makes applicability narrow but requires local factual determination.","Limited delegation of decision‑making to state corporations under statutory powers; practical implementation requires corporate operational decisions and coordination with existing licences."],"plain_english_summary":"These regulations let specified Western Australian state electricity corporations operate outside their usual geographic limits to deliver energy services. Mechanically, they authorise a government generator/retailer to supply gas beyond the South West Interconnected System, allow the networks corporation to provide stand‑alone power systems in its licensed distribution area, and permit the regional power corporation to run transmission and distribution for certain named Aboriginal communities. The named corporations decide whether to act; the affected communities and customers will receive the services and bear service delivery costs."},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"summary":{"complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Scope cannot be assessed as no legislative content was available. The title suggests a narrowly focused instrument defining geographic operational boundaries for a specific state-owned electricity corporation, which is consistent with a typical area-of-operation regulation under the Electricity Corporations Act 2005 (WA). No drift from original intent can be confirmed or denied."},"complexity_factors":["No actual legislative text was retrievable — the source page returned a 'not found' error","Analysis is limited to inference from the title only","Cannot assess provisions, definitions, schedules, or operative clauses","Complexity score defaults to 1 due to complete absence of content to analyse"],"plain_english_summary":"A Western Australian regulation specifying the geographic \"area of operation\" for the Electricity Generation and Retail Corporation — likely Synergy — i.e., where that state-owned retailer is legally permitted to generate and sell electricity. It matters to households, businesses, networks and regulators because it determines who is the authorised supplier in a given location and where retail/generation rights apply."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/electricity-corporations-electricity-generation-and-retail-corporation-area-of-operation-regulations","history":"/api/acts/electricity-corporations-electricity-generation-and-retail-corporation-area-of-operation-regulations/history","analysis":"/api/acts/electricity-corporations-electricity-generation-and-retail-corporation-area-of-operation-regulations/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/electricity-corporations-electricity-generation-and-retail-corporation-area-of-operation-regulations/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/electricity-corporations-electricity-generation-and-retail-corporation-area-of-operation-regulations/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/electricity-corporations-electricity-generation-and-retail-corporation-area-of-operation-regulations/documents"}}