Utilities and resources

A round up of the latest developments in the electricity sector
The electricity sector continues to move forward with a number of new laws in the pipeline. This update includes commentary on the Electricity Industry Reform Amendment Bill; the proposed legislative provisions which will give effect to the government's preference for new renewable electricity generation and the latest changes proposed for the Electricity Governance Rules.

Efficiency thresholds remain important for lines businesses
The Commerce Commission recently published a discussion paper on re-setting the efficiency thresholds of its targeted control regime for large electricity lines businesses for the 2009 to 2014 period. In this article senior associate David Blacktop outlines why the commission's current price/quality path thresholds reset remains important for electricity lines business (and potentially for other sectors as well), despite the announced changes to the price control regime for electricity lines business.

Key issues for the forestry sector from the Climate Change (Emissions Trading and Renewable Preference) Bill
New mechanisms to combat climate change mean the cost of carbon has now become a commercial reality for New Zealand business with the forestry sector at the forefront of the Government's policy initiatives in this area. In this article senior associate Kate Radka outlines the essential features of the emissions trading scheme for the forestry sector proposed under the Climate Change (Emissions Trading and Renewable Preference) Bill and sets out some questions to help foresters develop a strategy for managing their financial exposure to carbon.

Enquiries and information

For more information on any of the cases, articles and features in Commercial Quarterly, please email Diane Graham or call her on 64 9 916 8849.