Homes and business in 13 remote South Australian communities have access to safe and reliable electricity supplies through the Remote Areas Energy Supplies (RAES) scheme.
The RAES scheme subsidises the electricity tariff of domestic customers to ensure they pay no more than 10% above the main electricity grid standing contract price for reasonable levels of consumption.
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RAES communitiesElectricity tariffs for RAES sitesRenewable energy in RAES sites - Parachilna power stationEnergy audits for commercial customersCommunity eligibility for the RAES scheme Review of the Remote Areas Energy Supply Scheme RAES communities
Around 2,600 customers are provided with over 15 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity annually.
The South Australian Government owns the electricity infrastructure which supplies 10 remote towns:
- Cockburn
- Blinman
- Glendambo
- Kingoonya
- Mannahill
- Marla
- Marre
- Nundroo
- Oodnadatta
- Parachilna.
Contractors maintain and operate the power stations and electricity distribution systems. They also provide electricity retail services to customers.
Independent owner-operators supply electricity to the remaining three towns in the RAES scheme:
- Andamooka
- Coober Pedy
- Yunta.
Each independent owner-operator holds generation, distribution and retail licenses issued by the Essential Services Commission of South Australia (ESCOSA). The Government pays a subsidy to the independent operators to make delivery of the service viable.
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Electricity tariffs and charges for RAES sites
The SA Government sets tariffs for the communities supplied with electricity under the RAES scheme to ensure:
- small to medium domestic customers (up to 8000 kWh per annum) continue to pay no more than 10% above the on-grid regulated standing contract tariff
- larger domestic customers and commercial customers pay tariffs which step up towards the full cost of supply - ie tariffs increase as consumption increases
- government agencies pay a tariff which reflects the average full cost of supply
- all customers pay a fixed supply charge, similar to on-grid customers, of $50 per quarter.
The tariffs for Cockburn and Coober Pedy are different from other communities to reflect the way electricity is generated and sourced in these locations.
The last tariff revision was on 7 March 2011 which took into account the increased on-grid prices and increased cost of supplying electricity to customers.
Domestic tariffs
General supply tariffs
Government agency tariffs
Public lighting charges
Domestic tariffs
The following table outlines the tariff structure for domestic RAES customers.
| | Cockburn (cents/kWh) | Coober Pedy (cents/kWh) | All other RAES communities (cents/kWh) |
|---|
| First 300 kWh per quarter | 24.2284 | 24.2284 | 24.2284 |
| Next 700 kWh per quarter | 25.2980 | 25.2980 | 25.2980 |
| Next 1,000 kWh per quarter | 25.2980 | 29.9090 | 29.9090 |
| Next 2,500 kWh per quarter | 25.2980 | 58.0000 | 58.0000 |
| All additional kWh | 25.2980 | 70.6700 | 78.0000 |
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General supply tariffs
The following table outlines the tariff structure for general supply RAES customers.
| | Cockburn (cents/kWh) | Coober Pedy (cents/kWh) | All other RAES communities (cents/kWh) |
|---|
| First 15,000 kWh per quarter | 30.0000 | 30.0000 | 30.0000 |
| Next 35,000 kWh per quarter | 30.0000 | 43.1516 | 43.1516 |
| Next 40,000 kWh per quarter | 30.0000 | 43.1516 | 69.5000 |
| Next 60,000 kWh per quarter | 30.0000 | 58.5000 | 78.0000 |
| All additional kWh | 30.0000 | 70.6700 | 78.0000 |
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Government agency tariffs
The following table outlines the tariff structure for all government agencies.
| | Cockburn (cents/kWh) | Coober Pedy (cents/kWh) | All other RAES communities (cents/kWh) |
|---|
| All kWh | 30.0000 | 70.6700 | 78.0000 |
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Public lighting charges
Electricity used by public lighting in RAES communities is charged to the relevant council or community group. Community groups may be eligible to receive a subsidy for public lighting through the Outback Communities Authority.
The following table outlines the monthly charges for public lighting which is controlled by light sensors or time switches so that they operate during night-time only.
| Type of light | Wattage | Cost per month |
|---|
| Sodium (low pressure) street lights | 90 W | $17.46 |
| 100 W | $18.14 |
| 135 W | $20.31 |
| 250 W | $27.96 |
| Sodium (high pressure) street lights | 50 W | $10.86 |
| 150 W | $18.79 |
| Mercury (high pressure) street lights | 80 W | $11.04 |
| 250 W | $23.56 |
| 400 W | $31.94 |
| Fluorescent street lights | 40 W tube or 42 W compact fluorescent | $10.57 |
| 160 W (4 x 40 W) | $22.77 |
| Telephone booth fluorescent light | 20 W | $18.17 |
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Renewable energy in RAES sites - Parachilna power station
For most RAES sites electricity is supplied through stand-alone diesel and LPG generators, except for Parachilna.
Parachilna power station includes solar/diesel hybrid power generation. It is located 400m from the northern town boundary and consists of:
- 120 mono-crystalline panels each producing up to 175 W of electricity
- a 50 kVA bi-directional inverter which interfaces with the diesel generator controls and the battery array.
The system operates automatically to displace diesel generation with solar generation when available. The inverter control system can be remotely monitored from Adelaide and provides detailed information on the generation and distribution of electricity in Parachilna.
The solar array is currently generating approximately 12% of the energy used at Parachilna, saving approximately 32 tonnes per annum of greenhouse gas emissions.
Other sites are being considered for augmentation with renewable energy - eg solar and wind - and may be implemented where it is cost effective to do so.
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Energy audits for commercial customers
Subsidised energy audits are available for large commercial customers in RAES locations.
If your business uses more than 30,000 kWh of electricity per annum and you are interesting in finding ways to reduce your energy costs, contact the Energy Advisory Service on 1800 671 907 between Monday and Friday, 9.00 am – 5.00 pm.
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Community eligibility for the RAES scheme
The eligibility for communities seeking to join the scheme includes:
- the area to be provided with supply is within the boundaries of a gazetted township
- minimum of 20 metered installations with a mix of domestic and light commercial/industrial customers
- minimum of 150 MWh sales per annum
- general infrastructure in place - eg a post office, bank, school, general store, hotel, other government agencies
- a stable or growing population.
These criteria were established in 1996 when responsibility for the scheme shifted from ETSA to the SA Government.
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Review of the Remote Areas Energy Supply Scheme
To address concerns from people in remote areas about the price of energy, in 2011 a report was commissioned to review the Remote Areas Energy Supply Scheme including options for grid connection, energy efficiency opportunities and renewable energy.
The report identified that there were opportunities to connect some communities to the grid, but at significant capital cost, and that there were also considerable opportunities for energy efficiency. See
Review of the Remote Areas Energy Supply Scheme to read the report in full. (PDF 1.59Mb)
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