Customer and stakeholder engagement

SA Power Networks is committed to engaging and collaborating with our customers and stakeholders to drive better outcomes for customers, the business and our community. We are committed to ensuring that the needs and views of electricity users are heard and considered on key issues in the delivery of our vision of ‘Connecting South Australians to a better energy future, today’.

Ensuring our customers are at the heart of our business starts with good engagement and listening to our customers.

Following a recent review of our consultative group model, our new structure will comprise a Community Advisory Forum (CAF) and several specialised Advisory or Working Groups, facilitating regular scheduled engagement opportunities to ensure customer and stakeholder perspectives are considered in our ongoing business decision-making. This engagement will be supplemented by other engagement opportunities to ensure our engagement is fit for purpose for different stakeholders.

The EOI process for our new consultative groups is currently underway, with nominations closing on Monday 8 June.  

The key purpose of the CAF is to:

• Represent the long-term interests of our residential, business and vulnerable customers.
• Provide strategic advice and input into key matters being considered by the business (eg: pricing, services and investments).
• Ensure customer perspectives are considered in decision-making and long-term planning.
• Support alignment with consumer engagement expectations set by the Australian Energy Regulator, including consumer engagement expectations outlined in the AER’s Better Resets Handbook.
• Enhance transparency, accountability and trust between customers and the business.

The new structure is outlined below:

Picture: The new consultative group structure.

The key purpose of the Advisory and Working Groups are provided below:

• Network Performance Advisory Group: enable customers and stakeholders to build an understanding of our asset management framework and provide feedback into how we manage the network and invest.
• Innovation Advisory Group: provide structured customer and industry insights to inform Innovation Fund projects.   
• Future Energy Advisory Group: provide strategic, forward-looking advice on Consumer Energy Resources, demand flexibility and evolving Distribution System Operator functions, and to support customer-focused and efficient energy transition outcomes.
• Reset Advisory Group: provide in-depth input into the regulatory strategy for 2030-35 and ongoing engagement on regulatory topics.
• Vegetation Management Working Group: provide advice on issues related to vegetation management near powerlines.
• Connections Working Group: inform initiatives that improve the connections experience across Minor Connections and Projects.

For more information on our consultative group model and the Terms of Reference for the different groups, visit Talking Power website.