Guide to Registration Exemptions and Production Unit Classifications Consultation

Timeline

Matters under consultation

AEMO has commenced a consultation on proposed changes to AEMO’s Guide to Registration Exemptions and Production Unit Classifications (the Guide). The proposed changes seek to ensure the Guide and exemption framework remain clear, efficient and fit-for-purpose as the National Electricity Market (NEM) evolves.

Proposed changes

The proposal aims to address issues identified through industry engagement and AEMO’s experience with registration enquiries and exemption applications, including the need for greater flexibility, clearer exemption policy settings, and reduced administrative burden.

AEMO’s proposed changes to the Guide include the following:

• Introducing a self-declared exemption process for eligible systems less than 30 MW and lower-risk pre-commissioning activities.
• Expanding and clarifying the circumstances in which AEMO may consider exemptions, including for pre-commissioning activities, bidirectional units, uninterruptible power supplies and back-up generation.
• Removing the 90-day time limit for pre-commissioning exemptions.
• Renaming some exemption categories.
• Minor amendments to improve the Guide’s clarity, consistency and ease of use.
• The changes focus on Generator and Integrated Resource Provider registration exemptions. No substantive changes are proposed to the classification sections of the Guide.

Have your say

AEMO has prepared a Consultation Paper to inform stakeholders of the proposed changes and to facilitate their feedback. The Consultation Paper and supporting materials are available below.

To learn more about this consultation, join us for an information session on Tuesday 6 October at 11:00AM (AEDT) to ask your questions and discuss the key proposed changes. Register here.

Stakeholders are invited to provide written feedback on the proposed changes to [email protected] by no later than 5:00PM (AEDT) on Tuesday 13 October 2026.

Unless otherwise requested, submissions may be published on AEMO’s website in accordance with AEMO’s consultation processes.