In its quest to lower electricity prices for New Zealand households, the Electricity Authority may inadvertently make the situation worse.
This week, the authority announced plans to require New Zealand’s “gentailers” – firms that both generate electricity and retail it to consumers – to offer the same supply terms to independent retailers as they do to their own retail arms.
The aim is to prevent the gentailers from providing discounted electricity to themselves, thereby levelling the playing field between retailers, to deepen competition and lower prices.
