About the Connections Reform Initiative
The Connections Reform Initiative (CRI) is an industry-wide collaborative program established to improve the process for connecting projects to the National Electricity Market (NEM).
Launched by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) and the Clean Energy Council (CEC) in 2021, the initiative brings together stakeholders from across the energy sector to improve efficiency, address increasing complexity and deliver a more consistent and predictable connections process.
Phase 1 of the CRI successfully identified, prioritised and implemented a series of reforms through a structured co-design approach.
The initiative has now transitioned to Phase 2, which focuses on maintaining industry collaboration and continuing to address priority challenges to increase the number of projects that can efficiently progress through the connections process.
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Purpose and vision
As the energy transition accelerated, industry participants identified concerns about connection timeframes, process complexity and the increasing effort required to progress connection applications.
In response, AEMO and the Clean Energy Council established the CRI to develop practical reforms that would improve the connections process.
The CRI adopts a shared vision for a connections process that:
- delivers consistent, predictable and repeatable outcomes
- improves efficiency by reducing rework, improving information quality and addressing information asymmetry
- enables effective collaboration between industry, AEMO and the Network Service Providers (NSPs).
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Industry collaboration
The CRI has brought together more than 100 stakeholders from across the electricity sector, including:
- generators and project developers
- network service providers (NSPs)
- original equipment manufacturers (OEMs)
- investors
- industry associations
- market and regulatory bodies.
This collaborative approach has enabled industry participants to identify shared challenges, develop solutions and support implementation of reforms across the connections process.
Phase 1 of the CRI was supported by an Independent Facilitator who helped establish and guide the reform process.
In Phase 2, governance has moved to a program management model, reflecting the shift towards increased flexibility, faster implementation and the prioritisation of key reforms. The Program Manager coordinates delivery across the Leadership Group, Connections Practitioner Forum and Focus Groups, supporting collaboration and the progression of priority workstreams.
Outcomes delivered
The reforms identified through the CRI Phase 1 have now been implemented, delivering improvements across process, capability and collaboration.
Key outcomes include:
- introduction of the Early Assessment Framework
- introduction of Pre-application Support Services
- introduction of a Commissioning framework, guideline and toolkit resources
- guidance on NER 5.3.4A: negotiating access standard principles
- publication of NER 5.3.9 guidance series and supporting scenario fact sheets
- changes to Schedule 5.2.5.5 Minimum Access Standards
- establishment of the Grid Connection Engineer Graduate Program
- initiation and implementation of the Investment Certainty for R1 rule change, including publication of the R1 capability assessment guideline.
To improve transparency and visibility of the connections pipeline, AEMO now publishes regular updates through the Connections Scorecard.
Acknowledgement
The success of the CRI has only been possible due to the contributions of industry participants who have volunteered their time, expertise and resources to support reform development and implementation.
AEMO and the Clean Energy Council acknowledge and thank the organisations and individuals who have contributed to the initiative and continue to support Phase 2 activities.