Ausgrid

Ausgrid
State government owned
Industry Utility
Predecessor EnergyAustralia
Founded 1 March 2011 (2011-03-01)
Headquarters Sydney, Australia
Services Electricity distribution
Owner Government of New South Wales
Website www.ausgrid.com.au

Ausgrid, a state owned electricity infrastructure company, owns, maintains and operates the electrical distribution networks to 1.6 million customers[1] in Sydney, Central Coast, Hunter Region and Newcastle areas of New South Wales. It was formed in 2011 from the previously state owned energy retailer/distributor, EnergyAustralia, when the retail division of the company, along with the EnergyAustralia brand, was sold by the NSW State Government.

Ausgrid building, Sydney

The company is owned by the Government of New South Wales; and it has two shares, one each held by the Minister for Finance and Services (New South Wales) and the NSW Treasurer respectively.[2]

Controversy and criticism

From 2012 until present Ausgrid has received numerous complaints and requests for better stakeholder management and consultation of the local community. Ausgrid was seen as forcing their network capacity increasing (and therefore profit increasing) projects onto local residential communities. Affected residents groups from the suburbs of Leichhardt,[3] Penshurst [4][5] and East Lindfield [6][7] protested against unwanted and dangerous electricity High Voltage cabling, transformers and transmission towers [8] being installed in front of their residential homes without proper consultation or response to complaints by the community. The residents, after many urgent appeals to Ausgrid's COO Trevor Armstrong and the Chairman Roger Massey-Green, had been given no other option to notify local MP's, the media, the EPA and other authorities to get action against Ausgrid.

Sponsorship

Ausgrid inherited the naming rights sponsorship of Hunter Stadium from EnergyAustralia in March 2011. The stadium was known as Ausgrid Stadium until the contract expired at the end of 2011.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "About Ausgrid". Ausgrid. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  2. ↑ "Mapping stakeholders". Ausgrid. 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  3. ↑ http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/inner-west/high-voltage-debate-rages-on-as-leichhardt-residents-protest-cable/story-fngr8h4f-1226618439709
  4. ↑ http://www.theleader.com.au/story/1921652/residents-tell-ausgrid-back-off/
  5. ↑ http://www.theleader.com.au/story/1945586/police-intervene-in-stand-off-between-ausgrid-and-angry-penhurst-residents/
  6. ↑ http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/north-shore/photos-fngr8h9d-1226745815438?page=3
  7. ↑ http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/north-shore/high-voltage-underground-power-lines-dig-up-community-anger-as-their-local-roads-are-trenched/story-fngr8h9d-1227280924773
  8. ↑ http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/march-of-the-tall-grey-poles-has-residents-fuming-20110311-1br8p.html
  9. ↑ "EnergyAustralia stadium to change name". Newcastle Herald. 18 February 2011. Retrieved 1 March 2011.

External links


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