• Emergency management

  • In this section

  • AEMO’s electricity emergency arrangements provide a framework for the coordination of electricity emergencies across the National Electricity Market (NEM). These arrangements – which are based on national emergency management principles established by Emergency Management Australia – outline the roles and responsibilities of AEMO, government, and industry during an energy emergency. This is key in ensuring the NEM and its participants respond to power system emergency situations in a way that protects:

    • The safety of employees and the public.
    • The continuity of supply to customers.
    • The security of the power system.

    AEMO’s national electricity emergency responsibilities are outlined in the Power System Emergency Management Plan, while in Victoria AEMO has additional responsibilities under the Victorian Energy Emergency Communications Protocol.

    Emergency Protocol

    The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and the Protocol were developed by the Jurisdictions, that is, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, and AEMO, to co-ordinate actions to be taken under individual state legislation to manage power system security emergencies.


    Reliability and emergency reserve trader

    The Reliability Panel’s reliability and emergency reserve trader (RERT) guidelines, and AEMO’s procedure for the exercise of reliability and emergency reserve trader, requires AEMO to publish specified details relating to reserve contracts within one month of entering into a new reserve contract. These documents are available below.

    National Electricity Rule 3.20.7(e) requires AEMO to publish the procedure for the Exercise of Reliability and Emergency Reserve Trader (RERT). The procedure below for the Exercise of Reliability and Emergency Reserve Trader has been developed in accordance with Rules 3.20.7(e) and 11.31.4(c) and the Reliability Panel’s RERT guidelines which were published on 29 October 2009.

    RERT Panel Agreement and Request for Expressions of Interest

    AEMO requests participants to provide expressions of interest to become RERT panel members every year. Relevant information is available on this page.


    Market Suspension

    Market Suspension AEMO may declare the spot market to be suspended in a region under clause 3.14.3 of the National Electricity Rules. AEMO's "Guide to Market Suspension in the NEM" provides an overview of the market suspension process, with various links to supporting information.