The Northern Territory's energy sector is facing a crisis of confidence as the rollout of smart meters continues to cause widespread billing delays and customer inconvenience. This issue has now escalated to a financial crisis for Jacana Energy, the territory's largest energy retailer, which is owed over $33 million in unpaid power bills as of April. The situation has raised questions about the reliability and efficiency of the smart meter system, as well as the accountability of the government-owned entities involved in its implementation and management.
Jacana Energy's CEO, Jo Conway, revealed that the number of customers affected by billing delays has increased from 3,000 to 5,000, with the company facing significant financial losses. This comes on the heels of a previous incident in March where Alice Springs residents reported their power being unexpectedly switched off due to Jacana's failure to send them bills for months. Conway attributed these issues to technical problems within the retailer's billing processes, which have since been resolved.
However, the root cause of the problem lies with the Power and Water Corporation (PWC), which is responsible for maintaining energy infrastructure and providing meter reading data to energy retailers. PWC's chair, Peter Wilson, admitted that energy usage data from smart meters had not been regularly supplied to Jacana, affecting the retailer's ability to bill customers. This technical glitch has led to a cascade of problems, including the unexpected disconnection of power to 1,995 customers, including 1,842 homes and 153 small businesses, during the 2025-26 financial year.
The situation has sparked a heated debate in the Northern Territory Parliament, with independent MLA Robyn Lambley questioning PWC's role in the failure to bill a single mother in her Alice Springs electorate. Lambley highlighted the fact that Jacana couldn't bill customers without the data from PWC, and that the latter entity is more responsible for the failure to bill than Jacana. PWC's executive general manager, Michael Besselink, acknowledged the company's share of the blame and vowed to work harder to prevent such issues from continuing.
Despite the ongoing rollout of smart meters, which are supposed to record energy use in five or 30-minute intervals and automatically send that data to the energy retailer, the issues with billing delays and customer inconvenience persist. Jacana Energy's chair, Trevor James, assured that the problem should not continue, but the financial implications for the company and its customers remain a concern. The Northern Territory government, as the owner of both Jacana and PWC, faces a challenging task in resolving this crisis and restoring trust in the energy sector.
