Options Screening Report – Summary
Regulatory Investment Test – Distribution – April 2026
AusNet has initiated a Regulatory Investment Test for Distribution (RIT D) to identify the preferred option to address forecast capacity limitations on the South Morang 66 kV sub transmission loop, which supplies parts of Melbourne’s rapidly growing North Growth Corridor.
Accelerated population growth and new development across Beveridge, Wollert and surrounding areas are driving significant increases in electricity demand. Forecasts indicate that, without timely intervention, demand on the loop will exceed its available capacity within the next few years, increasing the risk of supply constraints and involuntary load shedding.
This Options Screening Report (OSR) sets out the identified need for investment and presents a range of credible options for consideration, including network augmentation, reconductoring, new line construction, and a battery energy storage system. AusNet will also consider any credible non network or stand alone power system proposals submitted as part of this consultation.
Stakeholders are invited to provide written submissions on the credible options presented in this OSR and to propose alternative non network or stand alone solutions that could address the identified need, either independently or in combination with a network option. The consultation period for this OSR is open for three months, with submissions due by 10 July 2026.
Feedback received through this consultation process will inform AusNet’s assessment of options and will be addressed in the Draft Project Assessment Report (DPAR), which AusNet expects to publish by early August 2026.