Recent changes to energy safety legislation have empowered Energy Safe Victoria to better protect customers and enforce regulations against non-compliant gas and electricity companies.
Amendments to the Electricity Safety Act 1998, Gas Safety Act 1997 and Pipelines Act 2005, which came into force on 16 May 2024, introduced new obligations for energy companies and increased penalties.
Large energy companies that breach general duties now face penalties of up to $1.66 million. Non-compliance with electricity safety management schemes, bushfire mitigation plans and gas safety can result in fines of up to $1.11 million. In addition, operators of electrical installations, including renewable energy sources such as solar and wind farms, are now subject to these updated obligations.
Energy Safe Victoria has also been given enhanced powers to address breaches of the Energy Safety Act through enforceable undertakings, bypassing the need for court proceedings. The regulator now has the power to order site preservation for certain incidents and can retain seized items for up to 60 days during investigations. In addition, the time limit for commencing prosecutions has been extended to three years from the date Energy Safe Victoria becomes aware of an alleged offence.
These updates follow an independent review aimed at strengthening Victoria's energy safety framework.
For more information on the updates, visit energy.vic.gov.au.