7. KATRINA SHANKS (National) Link to this
to the Minister of Energy and Resources
How many households switched electricity suppliers in March 2010?
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (Minister of Energy and Resources) Link to this
A total of 34,892 households switched electricity suppliers in March this year. That is the highest number of customer switches since August 2001. It is 48 percent more than in March last year, and is a very good sign that people are making choices for cheaper electricity.
What steps is the Government taking to promote customer switching and competition within the electricity market?
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE Link to this
The recent ministerial review of the electricity market endorsed competition as the best way to constrain retail electricity price increases. The Government agreed with a series of recommendations made by the expert advisory group. It has agreed to reallocate Tekapo A and Tekapo B power stations from Meridian Energy to Genesis Power and to create virtual asset swaps amongst State-owned generators to facilitate a better market. The benefits forthcoming from the transfer of Tekapo A and Tekapo B have already been seen, with Genesis Power aggressively entering the Christchurch and Dunedin markets and offering extremely competitive price packages. We expect the same to happen in the north very soon.