Case Study – Australian Enegry Market Operator

AEMO operates the National Electricity Market and the south eastern Australian retail and wholesale gas markets. The STTM Project involves multiple stakeholders, including the Ministerial Council on Energy, three energy Departments, regulators, pipeline operators, trading participants and peak bodies. De Wintern assisted with the implementation of a new wholesale gas short term trading market (STTM) in Sydney and Adelaide. De Wintern managed stakeholder relations in addition to providing day-to-day communication support to the project.

Although the market design process had been led by industry, some participants remained dissatisfied with aspects of the market and agitated for a range of changes, many of which would have resulted in costly delays to the market start. De Wintern has worked with AEMO to manage these participants to limit disgruntled participants’ scope to influence others and effect change.

De Wintern provided communication support for the project through collation and writing of regular internal and external communications, and sourcing of conference presentations and feature opportunities. We are also vigilant for emerging issues and assist with management as they arise.

Mainstream media was not appropriate as an influencer, so a strategy was devised engage third parties to influence participant attitudes. The responsible Ministers were targetted as well as appropriate industry associations. De Wintern established and maintained relationships with industry peak bodies and trade press, taking care to seed STTM messages in third party communications.