Amendments to AASB 9Amendments to AASB 9

Amendments to AASB 9

Chapter 2 Scope

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2.3A Paragraphs 6.10.1–6.10.2 and B2.7–B2.8 apply only to contracts referencing nature-dependent electricity. Contracts referencing nature-dependent electricity are contracts that expose an entity to variability in the underlying amount of electricity because the source of electricity generation depends on uncontrollable natural conditions (for example, the weather). Contracts referencing nature-dependent electricity include both contracts to buy or sell nature-dependent electricity and financial instruments that reference such electricity.
2.3B An entity shall not apply paragraphs 6.10.1–6.10.2 and B2.7–B2.8 by analogy to other contracts, items or transactions.

Contracts to buy or sell non‑financial items

2.4 This Standard shall be applied to those contracts to buy or sell a non‑financial item that can be settled net in cash or another financial instrument, or by exchanging financial instruments, as if the contracts were financial instruments, with the exception of contracts that were entered into and continue to be held for the purpose of the receipt or delivery of a non‑financial item in accordance with the entity’s expected purchase, sale or usage requirements. However, this Standard shall be applied to those contracts that an entity designates as measured at fair value through profit or loss in accordance with paragraph 2.5.
2.5 A contract to buy or sell a non‑financial item that can be settled net in cash or another financial instrument, or by exchanging financial instruments, as if the contract was a financial instrument, may be irrevocably designated as measured at fair value through profit or loss even if it was entered into for the purpose of the receipt or delivery of a non‑financial item in accordance with the entity’s expected purchase, sale or usage requirements. This designation is available only at inception of the contract and only if it eliminates or significantly reduces a recognition inconsistency (sometimes referred to as an ‘accounting mismatch’) that would otherwise arise from not recognising that contract because it is excluded from the scope of this Standard (see paragraph 2.4).
2.6 There are various ways in which a contract to buy or sell a non-financial item can be settled net in cash or another financial instrument or by exchanging financial instruments. These include:
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A contract to which (b) or (c) applies is not entered into for the purpose of the receipt or delivery of the non‑financial item in accordance with the entity’s expected purchase, sale or usage requirements and, accordingly, is within the scope of this Standard. Other contracts (which include contracts as described in paragraph 2.3A) to which paragraph 2.4 applies are evaluated to determine whether they were entered into and continue to be held for the purpose of the receipt or delivery of the non‑financial item in accordance with the entity’s expected purchase, sale or usage requirements and, accordingly, whether they are within the scope of this Standard.
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2.8 An entity shall also apply paragraphs B2.7–B2.8 to assess whether contracts referencing nature-dependent electricity (as described in paragraph 2.3A) are entered into and continue to be held for the purpose of the receipt of electricity in accordance with the entity’s expected usage requirements.
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Chapter 6 Hedge accounting

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6.10 Contracts referencing nature-dependent electricity

6.10.1 Some contracts referencing nature-dependent electricity are designated as hedging instruments in hedges of forecast electricity transactions. In addition to the requirements in paragraph 6.3.7, for such a hedging relationship an entity is permitted to designate as the hedged item a variable nominal amount of forecast electricity transactions that is aligned with the variable amount of nature-dependent electricity expected to be delivered by the generation facility as referenced in the hedging instrument. The other hedge accounting requirements of this chapter continue to apply to such a hedging relationship.
6.10.2 If the cash flows of the contract referencing nature-dependent electricity designated as the hedging instrument are conditional on the occurrence of a forecast transaction that is designated as the hedged item in accordance with paragraph 6.10.1, this forecast transaction is presumed to be highly probable as required by paragraph 6.3.3.

Chapter 7 Effective date and transition

7.1 Effective date

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7.1.15 AASB 2025-1 Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards – Contracts Referencing Nature-dependent Electricity, issued in February 2025, added paragraphs 2.3A–2.3B, 2.8, 6.10.1–6.10.2, 7.2.51–7.2.53, and B2.7–B2.8 and amended paragraph 2.6. An entity shall apply these amendments for annual reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2026. Early application is permitted. If an entity applies the amendments for an earlier period, it shall disclose that fact.

7.2 Transition

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Transition for Contracts Referencing Nature-dependent Electricity

7.2.51 An entity shall apply paragraphs 2.3A–2.3B, 2.8 and B2.7–B2.8 retrospectively in accordance with AASB 108 using the facts and circumstances at the date of initial application (the date when an entity first applies the amendments). The date of initial application shall be the beginning of a reporting period, which might be a reporting period other than an annual reporting period. An entity need not restate prior periods to reflect the application of these amendments. The entity is permitted to restate prior periods only if it is possible to do so without the use of hindsight. If the entity does not restate prior periods, it shall recognise any difference between the previous carrying amount and the carrying amount at the date of initial application of these amendments in the opening retained earnings (or other component of equity, as appropriate) at the beginning of that reporting period.
7.2.52 If a contract referencing nature-dependent electricity (as described in paragraph 2.3A) would be outside the scope of AASB 9 as a result of applying the requirements in paragraphs B2.7−B2.8, an entity is permitted, at the date of initial application, to irrevocably designate this contract as measured at fair value through profit or loss in accordance with paragraph 2.5.
7.2.53 An entity shall apply paragraphs 6.10.1–6.10.2 prospectively to new hedging relationships designated on or after the date of initial application. An entity is permitted, at the date of initial application, to discontinue a hedging relationship in which a contract referencing nature-dependent electricity (as described in paragraph 2.3A) has been designated as the hedging instrument, if the same hedging instrument is designated in a new hedging relationship in accordance with paragraphs 6.10.1–6.10.2.
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Appendix B
Application guidance

This appendix is an integral part of AASB 9.

Scope (Chapter 2)

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Contracts to buy nature-dependent electricity

B2.7 Some contracts referencing nature-dependent electricity (as described in paragraph 2.3A) require an entity to buy and take delivery of the electricity when it is generated. These contractual features expose the entity to the risk that it would be required to buy electricity during a delivery interval in which the entity cannot use the electricity. The entity might also have no practical ability to avoid making sales of unused electricity because the design and operation of the electricity market in which the electricity is transacted under the contract require any amounts of unused electricity to be sold within a specified time. When an entity applies the requirements in paragraph 2.4, such sales are not necessarily inconsistent with the contract being held in accordance with the entity’s expected usage requirements. An entity entered into and continues to hold such a contract in accordance with its expected electricity usage requirements if the entity has been, and expects to be, a net purchaser of electricity for the contract period. An entity is a net purchaser of electricity if it buys sufficient electricity to offset the sales of any unused electricity in the same market in which it sold the electricity.
B2.8 In determining whether an entity is a net purchaser of electricity, the entity shall consider reasonable and supportable information (that is available without undue cost or effort) about its past, current and expected future electricity transactions over a reasonable amount of time. The entity identifies ‘a reasonable amount of time’ by considering the variability in the amount of electricity expected to be generated due to the seasonal cycle of the natural conditions and the variability in the entity’s demand for electricity due to its operating cycle. In determining whether the entity has been a net purchaser, ‘a reasonable amount of time’ shall not exceed 12 months.