ComCom confirms new revenue limits for electricity lines company Aurora Energy
The Commerce Commission has set new revenue limits for Aurora Energy and published its monitoring fact sheet.
The Commerce Commission has set new revenue limits for Aurora Energy, the lines company responsible for supplying power to more than 200,000 people in Dunedin, Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes. The decision allows Aurora to continue upgrading its ageing network assets and meet growing electricity demand across Otago and Queenstown Lakes.
Aurora’s current revenue limits expire in March next year, and the Commission is required to set new limits to apply until 2030.
Commissioner Vhari McWha says the Commission’s decision will allow Aurora Energy to recover up to $680.8 million over four years (2026–2030).
“It’s in the long-term interests of consumers for Aurora Energy to continue to upgrade its network. We are conscious of the impact on electricity bills across Otago and want to ensure Aurora Energy’s spending remains reasonable and limited to what is necessary,” says Ms McWha.
Household electricity bills in the regions Aurora services will increase by an average of around $15 per month (ex GST) from 1 April 2026, followed by average increases of around $3 per month (ex GST) each year after.
These increases are averages across Aurora’s three pricing regions, and actual increases will differ between consumers. “To help reduce the initial price rise, we have smoothed the recovery of revenue across the four-year period.” says Ms McWha.
The Commission’s decision reflects rising underlying costs and the need for continued investment to ensure Aurora delivers a safe, reliable network while meeting growing demand. It also considered substantial feedback on the draft decision, supporting Aurora’s ability to maintain investment for the benefit of consumers.
In 2021, the Commission set a customised price-path for Aurora to address specific safety and reliability concerns on its network. Part of that decision was to introduce additional reporting requirements to give customers confidence that Aurora was delivering the improvements they were paying for.
This additional monitoring, outlined in the fact sheet also published today, has shown that Aurora has made considerable progress and improvements since 2021. The most recent monitoring report shows in the year ending March 2025, Aurora has lifted its capability to:
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Improve asset management: With improved asset management practices under the customised price path (CPP), the benefits of this are becoming evident in improved reliability and customer service.
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Renew assets: Aurora has continued to replace its assets, focusing on assets that could pose safety risks.
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Improve reliability: The reliability of Aurora’s network has improved during the year – unplanned interruptions in particular have reduced since 2024.
“We are pleased to see Aurora’s progress as indicated in our monitoring. We have decided to maintain this increased transparency for at least one more year to keep an eye on Aurora’s continued improvement.” Ms McWha says.