the separation of the retail arm from the rest of the business, and readying that retail arm for the tendered sale of the customer base to two or three private enterprises in late 2013, with sale date to be 1 January 2014. The market would then be opened for additional retailers to compete for customers from 1 July 2014. As the result of a Government funded study, it was found that there would not be a benefit to the consumer at that point, and the tendering process was aborted. Although the sale of the customer base did not go ahead, the date of full retail contestability remained at 1 July 2014, and the market is now open for other entities to compete for all customers. As a result of the prior re-structuring, Aurora delivered a bonus to customers with an average 5% drop in electricity prices. The non-retail sections of Aurora Energy merged with Transend Networks on 1 July 2014 to become TasNetworks. The retail arm of Aurora retained its original name and continues retailing electricity and natural gas in the state. References External links Electric power distribution network operators in Australia Government-owned companies of Tasmania Energy companies established in 1998