A major component of reliability standards is the baseline indices that give a measure of how effective and reliable the electricity service is. Quality standards are usually a measure of the power quality available to customers. Example of such measures would be the occurrence of voltage surges and sags and harmonics. The Authority may issue Reliability Standards that are to be used as guidelines by electricity utilities in Vanuatu.

Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCTION..... 3

1.1.        Background          3

1.2.        Issue of Reliability Standards          3

2. RESPONSIBILITIES..... 4

3. PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENT..... 4

4. COMPLIANCE..... 5

5. RELIABITY AND QUALITY OF SUPPLY..... 5

5.1. Reliability of Supply                 5

5.2. Quality of Supply                 6

5.2.1. Performance Monitoring.... 6

1. Customer Service Standards. 6

6.1.        Obligation to serve          6

7. Offences..... 6

Appendix A: - Customer-Service Standards......... 7

A1 – Connections..... 7

A2 - Customer Service and Billings Standards..... 9

A3 - Continuity of Supply..... 10

A4 – Testing of voltage stability..... 11

Appendix B - Overall Standards......... 12

B1 - Customer Service and Billings Standards..... 12

B2 – Electricity Quality and Reliability..... 13

Appendix C - Metering Reporting Standards......... 14

Appendix D – Definition of Interruptions......... 15

Appendix E - Definitions......... 16

Appendix F- References......... 17

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1.                  Background

The Utilities Regulatory Authority (the Authority) is Vanuatu’s economic regulator of electricity and water services throughout Vanuatu. The Government of Vanuatu established the Authority on 11 February 2008 under the Utilities Regulatory Authority Act No. 11 of 2007 (the Act).

The Authority is responsible for the regulation of the electricity and water sectors. Our role differs in each regulated industry but generally involves regulating prices, service standards, and market conduct and consumer protection. We also investigate and advise the Government on regulatory matters that affect Vanuatu’s regulated utilities.

The Act states that our primary objective is to regulate these utilities to ensure the provision of safe, reliable and affordable regulated services and maximize access to regulated services throughout Vanuatu.

1.2.                  Issue of Reliability Standards

In accordance with Division 2 – Safety standards, orders, inspection and reliability standards, section 17, the Authority may issue reliability standards in relation to the reliability of a regulated service throughout Vanuatu.

In determining whether to issue any reliability standard, the Authority must have regard to the cost and convenience of compliance with the reliability standard and the nature and importance of the reliability issue that is addressed.

The Electricity Reliability Standards are issued by the Authority as guidelines for electricity utilities to ensure that reliable electricity is generated and distributed to customers.

The Authority influences utilities reliability of supply through a financial incentive scheme, which encourages the utilities to meet and exceed the target levels of reliability.

Each Standard has specific performance requirements that must be met to manage reliability and quality issues effectively. A guideline is provided with each standard to assist regulated utilities in understanding and complying with the requirements.

A reliability standard issued by the Authority comes into force on the day on which it is published in the Gazette.

1. RESPONSIBILITIES

Generally, responsibilities for compliance with the Electricity Reliability Standards are:

  General Managers shall be accountable for ensuring the requirements of Standards are complied with;

  Managers and Supervisors shall be responsible for implementing the requirements of Standards; and

  Employees and Contractors shall comply with the requirements of Standards.

1. PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENT

The following general performance requirements apply to and form part of the Electricity Reliability Standards:

  Systems shall be established and maintained to effectively deal with instances of non- compliance with the requirements of the Electricity Reliability Standards, by applying corrective action to address the cause of the non-compliance.

  Corrective actions shall be considered, prioritized, recorded and tracked to completion with recorded evidence.

  Systems shall be established and maintained for the effective control of all documents that relate to the requirements of each Reliability Standards. This shall include formal review and authorization, identification, registration and revision control, ensuring that only the current version of documents is available to all personnel who need them and ensuring that superseded documents are withdrawn and are not used by personnel.

  Systems shall be established and maintained for the identification and maintenance of documentation and records, as required by legislation and in addition, sufficient to demonstrate compliance with such legislation and this Reliability Standard.

1. COMPLIANCE

The Electricity Reliability Standards may apply to all regulated utilities as defined in the Act, subject to the operational capacity of the utility as determined by the Authority.

1. RELIABITY AND QUALITY OF SUPPLY

This section of the Standard addresses:

  the reliability of supply and customer supply interruptions across the utility’s supply areas throughout Vanuatu;

  the utility’s performance requirements and reliability targets set within the Standards; and

  the quality of supply set within the Standards.

5.1.      Reliability of Supply

Some interruptions – or outages – are inevitable, and customers cannot be guaranteed continuous supply. Planned outages occur when a utility needs to disconnect supply to undertake maintenance or construction works. The Reliability Standards requires that utilities give customers a minimum of 3 days’ written notice of a planned outage. Year –on-year variance in planned minutes-off-supply is directly related to the maintenance and capital works activities undertaken by the Utility.

When the supply is disconnected unexpectedly, this is known as an unplanned outage. Unplanned outages typically have greater effect on customers than planned outages, because customers have no warning to take the necessary action to manage the impact of supply interruption.

The key measures for supply reliability are:

  minutes-off-supply, or the total minutes that a customer could expect to be without electricity over the reporting period;

  interruption frequency, or the number of times that a customer could expect to experience supply interruptions in a year;

  interruption duration, or the average time taken to restore supply to a customer when an interruption occurs; and

  momentary interruption frequency or the number of interruptions of less than 3 minutes that a customer could expect in a year.

5.2.      Quality of Supply

As well as the reliability or availability of supply, the Authority is concerned with supply quality – namely, the technical characteristics of electrical energy as delivered. Customers should receive their supply at the nominal voltage (220/380) volts for most customers) and at a single fundamental frequency of 50 hertz. The key elements for assessing quality of supply are voltage variations and harmonic distortion.

5.2.1.Performance Monitoring

The Authority monitors the quality of electricity supply in Vanuatu through two sources;   the level  of customer complaints as reported by the Utilities; and

  the results of independent regulatory audits of Utilities.

1. Customer Service Standards

6.1.                  Obligation to serve

In accordance with various concession agreements, the Act and the Electricity Supply Act the utility must serve anyone that requests service on the condition adhere to the terms agreed upon by both the customer and the utility.

Delivery of electricity is to be ensured within one month of receipt of the application of supply. This period may be extended by a reasonable period of time necessary for carrying out the connection, the extension and possible upgrading of the network or generating facilities. Such periods of time shall be specified in the quotation submitted to the customer.

1. Offences

A breach of the standards may attract penalties under Part 4 Offences of the Utilities Regulatory Authority Act No. 11 of 2007.

Under section 21(1) (b) of the Act, a utility must not contravene any reliability standard. A person who commits an offence under this section is liable on conviction to a penalty set out under the Act.

The Authority may under section 25 of the Act, issue an infringement notice in respect of any single offence under Part 4 other than subsections 21(40 and (5).

Appendix A: - Customer-Service Standards

A1 – Connections

 A2 - Customer Service and Billings Standards

A3 - Continuity of Supply

Appendix B - Overall Standards

B1 - Customer Service and Billings Standards

Appendix C - Metering Reporting Standards

Appendix D – Definition of Interruptions

Appendix E - Definitions

Consultation: shall mean the timely exchange of relevant information and ideas in such a manner that the parties have the actual and genuine opportunity to influence the outcome.

Currency:  The state of being current, up-to-date and relevant to the present time and conditions.

De-energised (Dead): Separated from all sources of supply but not necessarily isolated, earthed or out of commission.

Discharge: The removal of an electric charge by the application of a suitable discharge device.

Disconnected: Physically separated from any source of electrical energy, insulated where necessary and secured in a position clear of any electrical equipment that is capable of being energised.

External Parties: include service providers, government agencies, other organisations, neighbours and community and public.

Fault Finding: The process of making measurements or carrying out tests on equipment to locate faults. It may also include the process of connecting testing instruments or devices to various parts of the equipment to determine how the equipment is operating.

Harmonic Distortion: Deviation from the pure 50 hertz electrical power sine-wave waveform; mainly caused by customers’ electronic equipment and large industrial motors. The Reliability Standards specifies limits for the percentages of harmonic distortion allowed at different points in the network.

Life Cycle: extends from specification, design, procurement, installation, construction, commissioning, modification, operation, inspection, and maintenance, decommissioning through to disposal.

Regulated Service: As defined in the Utilities Regulatory Authority Act No.11 of 2007.

Reporting Period: The period commencing 1 January through to 31 December inclusive in any given year.

Testing: The use of logical methodology or test instruments or test equipment by a competent person.

Utility: As defined in the Utilities Regulatory Authority Act No.11 of 2007.

Voltage Variations: Short term variations from the desired nominal voltage, caused by events such as lightning strikes and faults in customers’ installations or elsewhere on the network, or by inadequate supply capacity. The Reliability Standards specifies different voltage limits within which the voltage may vary up or down, and time limits within which the variation may persist.

Works: Of electricity utility, means the electrical equipment, and electric line associated equipment, controlled or operated by the utility to generate, transform, transmit, distribute or supply electricity.

Appendix F- References

Relevant Acts, Regulations, Codes and Orders

  Electricity Cable Act

  Utilities Regulatory Authority Act No. 11 of 2007.   Electricity Supply Act

  Port Vila Electrical Supply Act

  Supply of Electricity (Districts) Act

Utilities Regulatory Authority Policies and Procedures

  Utilities Regulatory Authority Charter of Consultation and Regulatory Practice   Utilities Regulatory Authority Risk Management Policy and Procedure Concession Agreements

  Convention relating to the Concession for the Generation and Public Supply of Electric Power in Port Vila.

  Amendment No.1 to the Convention dated 15th August 1986 relating to the Concession for the generation and Public Supply of Electric Power in Port Vila.

  Amendment No.2 to the Convention dated 15th August 1986 relating to the Concession for the generation and Public Supply of Electric Power in Port Vila.

  Agreement varying Concession between the Government of the Republic of Vanuatu and the Honorable Minister of Lands, Geology, Mines, Energy and Rural Water Supply and Union Electrique du Vanuatu Limited.

  Specifications relating to the Concession for the Generation and Public Supply of Electric Power in Port Vila.

  Convention relating to the Concession for the Generation and Public Supply of Electric Power in Luganville.

  Specifications relating to the Concession for the Generation and Public Supply of Electrics Power in Luganville.

  Addendum to the Contract of Concession for the Generation and Public Supply of Electric Power in Luganville between the Government of Vanuatu and Union Electrique du Vanuatu Limited.

  Further Addendum to the Contract of Concession for the Generation and Public Supply of Electric Power in Luganville between the Government of Vanuatu and Union Electrique du Vanuatu Limited relating to the Sarakata Hydroelectric Power Station – Release of Funds from Sarakata Renewal Fund for Land Lease Acquisition Purposes.

  Addendum to the Contract of Concession for the Generation and Public Supply of Electric Power in Luganville between the Government of Vanuatu and UNELCO Vanuatu Limited Relating to the Handing over of the Sarakata Hydroelectric Power Station.

  Concession contract for the Generation and Public Supply of Electric Power in Tanna Island, Vanuatu.

  Concession contract for the Generation and Public Supply of Electric Power in Malekula Island, Vanuatu.

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