| AEMC | Australian Energy Market Commission |
| AEMO | Australian Energy Market Operator |
| AER | Australian Energy Regulator |
| Baseload generator | Generating plant that is normally operated to take all or part of the minimum load of a system, and which produces electricity at an essentially constant rate. |
| Cap-and-trade | A cap-and-trade system is an emissions trading system that provides a financial incentive for reducing emissions by setting a cap on total emissions. To cover their emissions cap, emitters are assigned allowances, which can be traded. |
| Carbon sequestration | The uptake and storage of carbon. Trees and plants, for example, absorb carbon dioxide, release the oxygen and store the carbon. Fossil fuels were at one time biomass and continue to store the carbon until burned. |
| Carbon capture and storage | A number of approaches are being investigated to capture carbon dioxide emissions from the generation of electricity. Once captured, carbon would then be transported using high pressure pipelines. Captured carbon dioxide has the potential to be stored in a variety of geological or ocean sites. CCS technologies are currently at the experimental and demonstration phase. |
| CCGT | Combined cycle gasification turbine |
| CCS | Carbon capture and storage |
| Cogeneration | A generating facility that produces electricity and another form of useful thermal energy (such as heat or steam), used for industrial, commercial, heating, or cooling purposes. |
| Competitive retail trading | A policy framework where energy retailers are able to sell electricity and gas to customer classes open to competition. Similar to full retail contestability (FRC). |
| CPRS | Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme |
| Defacto regulatory role | Where the indicated department undertakes a regulatory function, although that is not its primary policy function. |
| Decommissioned plant | Generating plant that has been permanently taken offline |
| Distribution network | The apparatus, equipment, plant and buildings used to convey and control the flow of electricity from the network to customers and which is not a transmission network. |
| ESCOSA | Essential Services Commission of South Australia |
| Embedded generator | A generating unit connected directly to a distribution network and with no direct connection to the transmission network. |
| ERA | Economic Regulation Authority of Western Australia regulates monopoly aspects of the gas, electricity and rail industries and licenses providers of gas, electricity and water services. In addition, the Authority has a range of responsibilities in the retailing of gas and surveillance of the wholesale electricity market in WA. |
| esaa | Energy Supply Association of Australia |
| ESC | Victorian Essential Services Commission |
| ETS | Emissions trading scheme |
| Franchise customers | Customers who may buy electricity only from the relevant host retailer at prices which must not exceed the regulated maximum uniform tariff. |
| Full retail contestability | Where customers may purchase energy through a licensed retailer of their choice. |
| Geosequestration | The technology that aims to store carbon dioxide in deep underground rock structures. |
| GJ | Gigajoule - 10 to the power of nine joules |
| GT | Gas turbine |
| GW | Gigawatt - 10 to the power of nine watts |
| Greenhouse gases | Greenhouse gases include water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrochlorofluorocarbons, ozone, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulphur hexafluoride. |
| GWh | Gigawatt hours - 10 to the power of nine watt hours |
| Host retailer | The default retailer that services a specified geographic area. |
| ICRC | ACT Independent Competition and Regulatory Commission |
| IMO | The Independent Market Operator is responsible for the administration and operation of the Western Australian Wholesale Electricity Market in accordance with the Market Rules. |
| Independent power producers | Off-grid private generators. |
| Interconnector | A transmission system which connects the networks of adjacent states. |
| Inter-regional capabilities | Maximum amount of electricity that can be delivered via a particular interconnector. |
| IPART | New South Wales Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal |
| Joule | A unit of electrical energy equal to the work done when a current of one ampere is passed through a resistance of one ohm for one second. |
| kV | Kilovolt - 10 to the power of three volts |
| kW | Kilowatt - 10 to the power of three watts |
| kWh | Kilowatt hours - 10 to the power of three watt hours |
| Market generator | A generator which has at least one generating unit classified as a market generating unit and which is also registered with NEMMCO as a market generator. |
| Market non-scheduled generator | Generating plant within the NEM that is not "scheduled" as part of central dispatch either because (1) its combined capacity is less than 20 MW, or (2) it is classified as such pursuant to the National Electricity Law (such as wind power generators). |
| MCE | Ministerial Council on Energy |
| MJ | Megajoule - 10 to the power of six joules |
| Mothballed plant | Generating plant that has been taken offline but may be brought back into service in the future. |
| MRET | Mandatory Renewable Energy Target |
| MVA capacity | Mega Volt Ampere = 10 to the power of six volt amperes |
| MW | Megawatt - 10 to the power of six watts |
| MWh | Megawatt hours - 10 to the power of six watt hours |
| NCAS | Network control ancillary service |
| NEM | National Electricity Market (covers the Queensland, NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmanian electricity markets) |
| NEMMCO | National Electricity Market Management Company |
| NEL | National Electricity Law |
| NETS | National Emissions Trading Scheme |
| NGL | National Gas Law |
| Non-market, non-scheduled generator | A generating unit or group of units whose entire electricity output is sold directly to a local retailer or customer and is not scheduled by NEMMCO as part of central dispatch. |
| Peak generator | Generating plant used to supply electricity during peak demand times (usually gas-fired). |
| PJ | Petajoule - 10 to the power of six joules |
| Pool price | The half-hourly average of the five-minute interval wholesale price of electricity in the NEM. |
| PV | Photovoltaic cells convert sunlight directly into electricity. |
| Principal generator | Generating plant that is market scheduled or non-market scheduled as part of central dispatch. |
| QCA | Queensland Competition Authority |
| Remote generator | Embedded generators located in areas away from population centres. |
| Retired plant | Generating plant that is no longer in use (has been decommissioned). |
| SOO | NEMMCO Statement of Opportunities publication |
| Spot price | Five-minute interval price of electricity in the NEM. |
| Stationary energy | Stationary energy includes emissions from electricity generation, fuels consumed in the manufacturing, construction and commercial sectors and domestic heating. |
| SWIS | Western Australia's South West Interconnected System |
| TJ | Terajoule - 10 to the power of 12 joules |
| Transmission network | High voltage transmission assets that transport electricity between generators and distribution networks. Transmission networks do not include the connection assets which form part of a transmission system. |
| Transmission system | The combination of a transmission network and connection assets which are connected to other transmission systems or to a distribution system. |
| TW | Terawatt |
| TWh | Terawatt hours |
| UA(F)G | Unaccounted for gas recorded for gas distribution network system. |
| VENCorp | Victorian Energy Networks Corporation |
| Volt ampere | A unit of electrical power in an AC circuit equal to the power dissipated when one volt produces a current of one ampere. |
| Wh | Watt-hour - a unit of energy, usually electrical energy, equal to one watt of power supplied to, or taken from, an electric circuit steadily for one hour and equivalent to 3600 joules. |
