Gas Networks 2050 Customer Forum six, held Tuesday 15 August, provided us with the opportunity to check-in with our customers on their initial recommendations from Forums Four and Five.

Our fourth and fifth Customer Forums were held in July and our group have been on quite a journey since then learning, discussing, and debating the complexities of the future of the Jemena gas network.

Customer Forum Six also allowed us to clarify and challenge some of the recommendations made, through hearing from three key experts that also participated in Forum Three and had accepted the invitation to come back to present at Forum Six.

These three experts represented different future energy system viewpoints (agnostic, electrification and renewable gas) and presented challenge questions to customers.

Our experts included:

• For the agnostic side: Gavin Dufty (from St Vincent De Paul)
• For the electrification future: David Strang (from Lighter Footprints)
• For the renewable gas future: Mike Davis (from Optimal Renewable Gas)

To delve a little deeper into particular topics and answer questions from customers, they also participated in a dynamic one-on-one rotating conversation called a ‘fishbowl’ process.

We also revisited some of the response areas and confirmed viewpoints from customers including:

• Ensuring customer welfare is considered in accelerating recovery
• Safety and reliability is still a priority
• Digital meters help get a more accurate bill reading for those who need it.

Customer feedback around the future of renewable gas, electrification and the uncertainty ahead included:

• Concerns about how expensive the transition will be, particularly for vulnerable customers
• Questions around Jemena’s ability to facilitate the development or the introduction of renewable gases
• The idea to include incremental goals on the way to net zero in 2050
• The current governments policies focusing on an electrification future through rebates for solar and not so much on renewable gas
• Appreciating the difficulty and challenge of the energy transition and what customers can do.

Thank you so much to everyone who attended and we look forward to reconvening with this same customer group for Forum Seven in early September. At this Forum we will finalise their recommendations back to Jemena to be presented to the Regulator.