Electricity (Contestable Consumers) Regulations 2013

No. S 740

Electricity Act

(CHAPTER 89A)

Electricity
(Contestable Consumers) Regulations 2013

In exercise of the powers conferred by sections 41(1) and 103(1) of the Electricity Act, the Energy Market Authority of Singapore, with the approval of Mr S Iswaran, Second Minister for Trade and Industry, charged with the responsibility for the portfolio of the Minister for Trade and Industry relating to regulation of energy utilities, hereby makes the following Regulations:

Citation and commencement

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Electricity (Contestable Consumers) Regulations 2013 and shall come into operation on 1st April 2014.

Definitions

2.—(1) In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires —

“master‑meter” means a meter measuring the electricity consumed by all the units and common areas in a building or cluster of buildings which are used or occupied by multiple consumers;

“sub‑meter” means a meter measuring the electricity which, after being taken through a master‑meter, is consumed by a unit in a building or cluster of buildings;

“unique identifier”, in relation to a consumer, means the set of numeric or alphanumeric characters assigned by the Government or a public authority to the consumer by which the consumer may be uniquely identified in Singapore.

(2) For the purposes of these Regulations, premises are lawfully used or occupied by a consumer for any non‑residential purpose under a unique identifier of his if the premises are lawfully used or occupied by the consumer —

(a)	under that unique identifier for a purpose that is not residential; or
(b)	for a purpose connected with that unique identifier, where the unique identifier is a unique entity number.

Classification as contestable consumer by application

3.—(1) Where a consumer wishes to be classified as a contestable consumer in respect of any premises (referred to in this regulation as the subject premises) lawfully used or occupied by him for any non‑residential purpose under a unique identifier of his, the consumer shall apply to the market support services licensee for an account as a contestable consumer for the subject premises.

(2) An application referred to in paragraph (1) shall be in the form specified, and include any information requested, by the market support services licensee.

(3) Subject to regulation 5, upon receipt of an application referred to in paragraph (1), the market support services licensee shall, without undue delay, open an account for the consumer as a contestable consumer for the subject premises if —

(a)

the consumer —

(i)

requires electricity to be supplied at high voltage to the subject premises;

(ii)

at any time during the period from 1st March 2013 to the date of the application (both dates inclusive), is or was a contestable consumer for any other premises lawfully used or occupied by the consumer for any non‑residential purpose under the same unique identifier as applies to the subject premises; or

(iii)

has, as the aggregate of the average monthly electricity consumption at each of his specified premises —

(A)	if the aggregate is calculated in April 2014 or any month thereafter but before October 2014, an amount of 8,000 kilowatt‑hour or more; or
(B)	if the aggregate is calculated in October 2014 or any month thereafter, an amount of 4,000 kilowatt‑hour or more; or

(b)

the market support services licensee had previously notified the consumer that the consumer satisfies any of the requirements referred to in sub‑paragraph (a).

(4) For the purposes of paragraph (3)(a)(iii), premises are specified premises of a consumer if they are lawfully used or occupied by the consumer for any non‑residential purpose under the same unique identifier as applies to the subject premises, and include the subject premises; but do not include any premises using a master‑meter and one or more sub‑meters to measure the electricity consumption thereat.

(5) The consumer referred to in paragraph (3) shall be classified as a contestable consumer for the subject premises as from and including the date on which his account as a contestable consumer is opened by the market support services licensee, and the market support services licensee shall notify the consumer of that date.

Average monthly consumption

4.—(1) For the purpose of sub‑paragraph (iii) of regulation 3(3)(a) (read with regulation 3(4)), the average monthly electricity consumption at any specified premises shall be calculated over a continuous period not exceeding 12 months ending with the month preceding the month in which the aggregation referred to in that sub‑paragraph is being calculated.

(2) Where the continuous period referred to in paragraph (1) is for less than one month, the electricity consumption at such premises during that period shall be treated as the average monthly electricity consumption.

Consumers not qualifying to be classified as contestable consumers

5. Unless the Authority otherwise determines, which determination may be subject to such conditions as the Authority may specify, no consumer shall be classified as a contestable consumer under regulation 3 in respect of any premises if the premises form part of a building or cluster of buildings used or occupied by multiple consumers, and the consumer is using a master‑meter and one or more sub‑meters to measure his electricity consumption in respect of the building or cluster of buildings.

Cessation of classification as contestable consumer

6.—(1) A consumer who is classified as a contestable consumer under regulation 3 shall cease to be a contestable consumer in respect of any premises if the metering scheme for the premises is changed to that of having the electricity consumption measured by a master‑meter and one or more sub‑meters, with effect from and including the date of the change.

(2) The consumer shall, before any change under paragraph (1) takes effect, notify the Authority of his intention to effect such change and the intended date of the change.

Revocation and savings

7.—(1) The Electricity (Contestable Consumers) (No. 2) Regulations (Rg 4) are revoked.

(2) Any consumer who is classified as a contestable consumer under the revoked Electricity (Contestable Consumers) (No. 2) Regulations and who remains classified as such immediately before 1st April 2014 shall continue to be a contestable consumer for the purposes of the Act and shall be subject to regulation 6 of these Regulations.

(3) Any consumer who is classified as a contestable consumer in respect of any premises and is using a telephone line for remote reading of the meter at the premises in accordance with regulation 8 of the revoked Electricity (Contestable Consumers) (No. 2) Regulations shall continue to do so until the meter is replaced by a transmission licensee with another meter that can be remotely read without a telephone line.

Made this 3rd day of December 2013.

LOH KHUM YEAN

Chairman,
Energy Market Authority of Singapore.

[TRIM/RD/COM/11-6; AG/LLRD/SL/89A/2010/3 Vol. 1]

(To be presented to Parliament under section 103(4) of the Electricity Act).

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