AGL operations in Victoria under threat

SYDNEY [AAP] - Victoria's largest energy supplier AGL risks losing its licence to sell power in the state after the energy regulator issued a warning over the company's failure to provide performance data.

The state's Essential Services Commission warned the company it would initiate a review of AGL's licence if accurate data for 2017-18 wasn't handed over by October 31.

"It is extraordinary to think that AGL, the biggest retailer in the state, can't even tell us how many customers it has at the moment," commission chair Ron Ben-David said yesterday.

Energy retailers are required to provide data to the commission every quarter to promote transparency about how the energy market is operating in Victoria.

AGL faces a potential threat to its operations in an entire Australian state 

"This is not just about data. The community has a right to know what's happening in the energy market and AGL is denying the community that right," Dr Ben-David said.

The retailer told the Essential Services commission it was unable to provide data on the number of disconnected customers, how many customers were on hardship programs, how many customers were falling behind on bills and how long they were kept on hold when they called the company.

AGL also failed to tell the commission how many of its customers receive a solar feed-in tariff and how many had their bills estimated.

If it fails to hand over the data, the commission will review whether the gas and electricity supplier has the "technical capacity" to operate in Victoria under its licence.

AGL's chief customer officer Melissa Reynolds said the company had provided the retail performance data but found some of it was inaccurate.

"While this is industry data and has no impact on customer accounts or bills, we apologise unreservedly," Ms Reynolds said.

She said after the company had "self-identified" issues with the data, it committed to resubmitting the figures by the end of October.

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