Former Climate Change Authority boss lands new role leading Energy Security Board

The Energy Security Board has appointed Anthea Harris as its new Chief Executive Officer, as the agency reckons with a significant redesign of Australia’s electricity market.

Harris has a long history with Australian climate and energy policy, having previously served as the CEO of the Climate Change Authority, and holding senior positions within the former federal department of climate change and energy efficiency.

Harris more recently served as a deputy secretary at the Victorian department of environment, land, water and planning, leading the department’s energy group.

The Energy Security Board has been tasked with preparing proposals for a redesign of Australia’s National Electricty Market, the most substantial overall since its conception, and one made necessary by the rapidly accelerating switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources.

Chair of the ESB Anna Collyer – who also serves as chair of the Australian Energy Market Commission – welcomed the appointment, saying it came at a key time for the energy security board.

“The ESB’s policy work is at a critical stage. Australia’s energy ministers have tasked the ESB with implementing agreed reforms and developing policy alternatives to efficiently deliver the necessary resource capacity and manage congestion in the National Electricity Market’s future system,” Ms Collyer said.

“Our work on distributed energy resources (DERs), in particular, is significantly changing the way energy is produced, stored and distributed. Anthea, in her new role, will be instrumental in delivering long-term sustainability, making way for a future of solar, batteries and electric vehicles, bringing power networks into the 21st century.”

Harris will step into what is a newly created role, and will take over some of the leadership responsibilities previously fulfilled by former ESB chair Kerry Schott.

Harris is expected to start as the ESB’s Chief Executive Officer from late March.