State energy minister, Ms Candy Broad, announced the start up date following the successful trials of systems that allowed retail customers to be billed individually.

Ms Broad said electricity demand in Victoria had risen rapidly in recent years and a lack of new investment in generation capacity meant there was little spare capacity. This meant wholesale electricity prices had risen.

Ms Broad said average retail prices had fluctuated significantly in the past decade with a 10 per cent increase in 1992 to meet Victorian budgetary purposes.