Otago residents and businesses against significant power price hikes to pay for Aurora Energy's massive reinvestment programme will be able to push for spending to be deferred to soften the blow. Associate Commissioner John Crawford said the Commission has identified a number of key issues it wants consumer and stakeholder feedback on including options for minimising consumer price shocks. "For example, would they prefer prices to increase in gradual and steady increments or price increases to be smaller in the first year, followed by larger increases in the following years to give more time to prepare. Aurora’s new revenue limits, reliability standards and consumer price increases will come into effect on 1 April 2021. Aurora’s charges are built into power bills and are something its customers are required to pay no matter which power company they are with.

Source: Otago Daily Times July 29, 2020 22:18 UTC