Find your network
Twelve networks. Pick yours.
Australia has at least four grid connection frameworks, and each network runs its own version. Filter by state and project type, then open the network's guide - each one covers the rulebook, the pathway, the studies and where it gets hard, with links to the utility's own documents.
WA · SWIS
Western Power - transmission
The five-stage transmission track
Enquiry to Execution under the WEM Rules, with PowerFactory and PSCAD models and GPS assessment R0 to R2 carrying the process.
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WA · SWIS
Western Power - distribution
Embedded generation & distribution
Western Power's distribution track for commercial load and embedded generation - network assessment, export limits, offer and witnessed commissioning.
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WA · Regional
Horizon Power
Regional microgrids
Standalone town systems with finite hosting capacity - bespoke study scopes, generation management integration, and feasibility conversations before forms.
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WA · Pilbara
NWIS - Pilbara networks
The industrial grid
The Pilbara Networks Access Code 2021 pathway - enquiry, paired access application, investigation and access offer with the relevant network owner.
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NEM · All regions
The NEM process - AEMO
The NER Chapter 5 spine
The process every NEM region shares: enquiry 5.3.2, performance standards 5.3.4A with AEMO, system strength, registration and R1/R2 validation.
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NSW · ACT
Transgrid
NSW & ACT transmission
NER Chapter 5 with Transgrid, system strength remediate-or-pay economics, and the NSW REZ framework layered over declared zones.
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QLD
Powerlink
Queensland transmission
Early engagement built into the front of the process, a preliminary system strength assessment at enquiry, and full impact assessments where triggered.
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SA
ElectraNet
South Australian transmission
One of the world's highest shares of inverter-based generation at gigawatt scale - validated PSCAD models are where SA connections are made or broken.
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TAS
TasNetworks
Transmission & distribution, one owner
One organisation owns both networks - transmission on the 110 kV and 220 kV systems, with island-system frequency dynamics all of Tasmania's own.
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VIC
Victoria - VicGrid
The declared shared network
VicGrid has managed Victorian transmission connections since 1 November 2025; AusNet remains the DTSO, and NER Chapter 5 still sets the spine.
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NEM · Distribution
NEM distribution networks
Embedded generation, Chapter 5A
Chapter 5A with your local distributor - protection, voltage and export assessment, stepping up into Chapter 5 and AEMO registration around 5 MW.
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National
Data centres & large loads
The demand-side pathway
Load performance standards or a load model assessment instead of a GPS, dynamic load modelling, and augmentation that often sets the critical path.
Open the guide →Filter by state and project type, or scan the twelve cards.
Pathway, studies, timeline and the honest hard parts - one page per network.
Every guide links the utility's own published documents - they are the authority.
15 GW+ of connection studies, proponent-side, in the tools the assessors run.
v2.0 (October 2026): rebuilt as a visual hub - each network now has its own dedicated guide; VicGrid's management of Victorian transmission connections (transferred from AEMO on 1 November 2025) reflected; AEMO, Horizon Power, Essential Energy, Energex and Ergon official links added.
v1.0 (October 2026): first national release covering the SWIS, Horizon Power systems, the NWIS and the NEM's transmission and distribution networks. Planned next: Northern Territory systems and deeper distribution-network detail.
The proponent's side of the table
Connection studies delivered
Across the NEM and the WEM - system strength, GPS modelling, RMS and EMT model validation, in the tools the networks' assessors run.
Power system studies →Research the industry runs on
CIGRE Paris Session 2026 paper 10487, co-authored with AEMO, on wide-area RMS modelling - the methods behind the studies are published, not just practised.
Technical publications →Then the connection itself
Substation and terminal design, secondary systems and the works that give the connection something to connect to - accredited with network owners across Australia and New Zealand.
Substation design →Common questions
Straight answers, before you pick up the phone
Do I need a PSCAD model to connect in the NEM?
For most transmission-connected generation and storage, yes - alongside an RMS model. Assessors work in both domains: RMS for wide-area dynamics, EMT for the fast inverter control behaviour RMS cannot resolve. Confirm exact requirements with the network service provider early.
How long does a grid connection application take in Australia?
It varies widely. Large transmission-connected projects commonly run a year or more from enquiry to connection agreement, with commissioning and model validation beyond that; distribution-scale connections are usually faster. Studies, performance standard negotiation and model acceptance drive the timeline.
SWIS vs NEM - what actually differs?
The rulebook and the process owner. NEM connections run under NER Chapter 5 through the local network with AEMO; the SWIS runs Western Power's five-stage process under the WEM framework. The modelling thread underneath is similar; the deliverables and gates are not.
Who do I apply to for a BESS connection in NSW?
Transgrid for a transmission connection under Chapter 5; the local distributor - Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy or Essential Energy - for a distribution connection, with larger batteries commonly stepping into the Chapter 5 process and AEMO registration.
What is system strength remediation?
Where a connecting plant would adversely affect how firmly the network holds a stable voltage waveform nearby, the proponent generally funds remediation or pays system strength charges, depending on the regional framework. It is one of the most common sources of late cost and schedule movement.
Can a data centre connect directly to transmission?
Yes - via the load-side pathway of the relevant network: a Chapter 5 load application in the NEM, or Western Power's load track in the SWIS, with load performance standards or a load model assessment and growing scrutiny of dynamic load behaviour.
What rules apply in the Pilbara?
The NWIS sits outside the NEM and SWIS. Covered networks run under the Pilbara Networks Access Code 2021, with Horizon Power's ringfenced Pilbara network business handling its coastal network and private owners managing their own.
When does a distribution connection fall under Chapter 5A?
Chapter 5A covers retail and non-registered embedded generation connections to NEM distribution networks. Larger units - commonly from around 5 MW - step up into the full Chapter 5 process and AEMO registration. Thresholds vary by distributor; confirm early.
Related
SWIS connection guide
The Western Power transmission process at full depth - every stage, every deliverable, explained.
Read the guide →Grid connection Australia
APD's grid connection services - studies, GPS registration, system strength and R2 commissioning.
Explore →Power system studies
Load flow, fault level, stability, GPS modelling and EMT - in PowerFactory, PSS®E and PSCAD.
Explore →