New Zealand Legislation: Regulations

25 Content of critical contingency management plan

• (1) A proposed critical contingency management plan must be consistent with these regulations and must provide for the following:

  • (a) a threshold for each part of the transmission system referred to in Schedule 1 that meets the following requirements:

    • (i) the threshold must be not be less than, and must not exceed, the relevant permissible limits for those thresholds set out in Schedule 1; and

    • (ii) the threshold must be specified in terms of the projected number of hours remaining before the minimum operating pressure is reached; and

    • (iii) the threshold must specify, as part of the threshold, the minimum operating pressure; and

    • (iv) the minimum operating pressure means the minimum pressure that is required to maintain the supply of gas across the relevant part or parts of the transmission system and to avoid disruption of distribution systems connected to the transmission system; and

    • (v) the minimum operating pressure must be measured at the points on the transmission system specified in Schedule 1; and

  • (b) a description of the events that the transmission system owner considers may feasibly result in a breach of the thresholds referred to in paragraph (a); and

  • (c) actions that the transmission system owner considers it may feasibly take to remedy any breach in those thresholds resulting from the events described in accordance with paragraph (b); and

  • (d) a process, consistent with the curtailment arrangements, outlining the manner in which curtailment will be implemented, curtailment bands, how restoration will be implemented, and an explanation as to how these processes meet the objectives set out in Schedule 2; and

  • (e) a communications plan, describing the communications that the transmission system owner must initiate by notice to the critical contingency operator, other transmission system owners, gas distributors, shippers, retailers, large consumers, and any other person it considers necessary before and during a critical contingency, the reciprocal communications, and time frames within which those communications are to take place; and

  • (f) the contact details of any suitably qualified persons employed by the transmission system owner who the transmission system owner proposes will be responsible for—

    • (i) giving communications to the critical contingency operator and receiving communications from the critical contingency operator under the communications plan; and

    • (ii) giving directions in accordance with the critical contingency management plan; and

  • (g) the circumstances, if any, in which the transmission system owner considers it may be desirable for the critical contingency operator to direct the restoration of gas supply in an order different to that (last curtailed and first restored) set out in the curtailment arrangements, including how, in those circumstances, that different order would better achieve—

    • (i) the purpose of these regulations; and

    • (ii) the objectives of the curtailment arrangements; and

  • (h) a process, consistent with regulations 73 to 82, outlining the manner in which the contingency imbalances will be determined for each affected party over the period of the critical contingency, including—

    • (i) what information is to be used by the transmission system owner to determine contingency imbalances; and

    • (ii) how the transmission system owner is to allocate contingency imbalances to affected parties; and

    • (iii) processes outlining how the information concerning those allocated contingency imbalances is to be provided to the industry body for the invoicing of those allocated contingency imbalances; and

  • (i) a list of the contact details for the—

    • (i) operators of gas storage facilities that are connected to the relevant part of the transmission system; and

    • (ii) operators of upstream gas production facilities that are connected to the relevant part of the transmission system; and

    • (iii) large consumers with a consumer installation connected directly to the relevant part of the transmission system; and

    • (iv) interconnected parties, retailers, and shippers who are trading across or utilising the relevant part of the transmission system; and

    • (v) gas distributors with a distribution system connected to the relevant part of the transmission system; and

  • (j) a description of how the transmission information referred to in regulation 38 will be made available to the critical contingency operator; and

  • (k) any other things that the transmission system owner considers appropriate to give effect to the purpose of these regulations.

  (2) A proposed critical contingency management plan must be consistent with MPOC, VTC, or any other transmission system code except to the extent necessary to comply with these regulations.