Who we are

We own and operate Victoria's electricity transmission network, an electricity distribution network covering the eastern half of the state, and a gas distribution network covering the western half of the state. Together, our distribution networks directly service 1.5 million customers across Victoria. Indirectly (or directly in the case of some major industrial customers) all Victorians are customers of AusNet via our electricity transmission network, even if they are with another network’s distribution area. We are 1 of 5 electricity distributors (along with CitiPower, PowerCor, United Energy & Jemena), and 1 of 3 gas distributors (along with Multinet and Australian Gas Networks) in Victoria. 

We operate our business in a highly regulated environment. We have a number of key regulators at the state and federal level that make sure we are doing the right thing by our customers and are meeting community standards for things like reliability, safety and affordability.

One of our key regulators is the Australian Energy Regulator (AER). The AER is the national economic regulator and the body responsible for monitoring and enforcing national energy legislation and policy. The AER's role is particularly important during the regulatory review process, in which we work very closely with them every 5 years to set out our network activities and investments set the price for our network services in the upcoming 5-year period. You can find more information about these processes and our engagement on them on the Electricity Distribution Price Review (EDPR), Transmission Revenue Reset (TRR) and Gas Access Arrangement Review (GAAR) pages or on the AER’s site.

What we do

We provide safe, reliable and affordable energy network services to our customers.

Our customers include residential, small to medium business and large commercial and industrial businesses. They also include schools, hospitals, councils, community centres, farms and a wide range of other facilities.

We own the physical relationship with customers on our networks. That is, the interactions they have with the physical network including connections and disconnections, metering, interactions with our poles, wires and pipelines, and the reliability and quality of their energy supply.

We are separate from retailers, who own the financial relationship with the customers. Retailers look after billing and also customers for their usage and they also act as an intermediary for communication between distributors and customers on certain topics.

Customers’ bills are made up of a range of charges. They include the network charges (our part), wholesale energy charges (from the generators and producers of energy) and retail services (retailers’ fees).

Transmission of electricity

Our transmission network transports power from where it’s generated to Victoria’s 5 distribution networks (including our own). We sit in the middle of the National Electricity Market (NEM), so our networks provide an important link between Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales and Tasmania.

The transmission network largely consists of high-voltage cables and towers to support them, as well as transformers. This infrastructure moves electricity from where it’s generated, such as a coal plant or solar or wind farm, to an electrical substation. At the substation, the voltage is stepped down and the electricity is then fed into the various distribution networks, which take it to the end-customer.

Distribution of electricity

We are one of 5 electricity distribution networks in Victoria. Our electricity distribution network delivers electricity to over 750,000 homes, businesses, hospitals, schools and other facilities across eastern and north-eastern Victoria, and in Melbourne’s north and east. You cannot choose your electricity distributor, as they are assigned to you depending on the area where you live.

Our responsibilities in electricity distribution include:

• managing the reliability of your supply (and the frequency and duration of outages)
• powerline safety (up to your meter)
• metering services
• connecting newly-built properties to the electricity network, and
• connecting rooftop solar and batteries to the electricity network.

Distribution of gas

We are one of 3 gas distribution businesses in Victoria. We deliver gas to 780,000 homes, businesses, hospitals, schools and other facilities in western Melbourne, Geelong and parts of western Victoria. You cannot choose your gas distributor, as they are assigned to you depending on the area where you live.

Our responsibilities in gas distribution include:

• managing the reliability of your supply (and the frequency and duration of gas outages)
• gas pipeline safety (up to your meter)
• metering services
• connecting newly-built properties to the gas network.

Unregulated energy services

We also design, build, operate and maintain large scale energy infrastructure for the utility, transport and government sectors and bring together homes and businesses to generate and share energy. We are introducing more green energy to the grid by connecting wind farms, solar farms, and energy storage. Our mini-grids and solar programs are supporting regional communities to become more resilient and achieve their energy goals.