Consultation – Adjustment to Alert Contingent Storage Release Boundary (Closed)

Final decision to raise the Alert Contingent Storage Release Boundary

We announced our final decision to add a new buffer to raise the Contingent Storage Release Boundary (CSRB) for a limited time on Thursday 22 August 2024. This new increased buffer increases the Alert Status curve to give industry greater flexibility to manage emerging security of supply risks through access to contingent hydro storage.

The decision was largely supported by industry and will allow generators to access contingent storage at lakes Tekapo, Pūkaki, and Hāwea if a security of supply alert status is triggered. While storage levels tend to increase in spring as rain falls, this will give industry increased flexibility to respond to reduce system security risks if the situation continues to deteriorate.

We initially proposed adjusting the Alert CSRB buffer to raise the alert curve only for September. In response to submissions, our final decision increases the alert CSRB buffer for September and by a smaller amount for October to raise the Alert curve for both months. This provides generators greater ability to respond to security of supply risks if inflows from rain and snowmelt are slow improving.

More information on this emerging security of supply risk is available here.

Key documents

• Final decision document
• Consultation document

Submissions

We received eleven submissions, which you can read below. Thank you to everyone who submitted on the consultation. Our final decision takes into account the views of industry and other stakeholders that we received.