Upwards of 1500 jobs could go and 270 apprenticeships placed in jeopardy under plans to cap Essential Energy’s forward revenue.

The energy regulator wants the power provider to limit its revenue by $6.5 billion over the next five years.

That could mean a reduction in power bills but also could lead to job losses.

The Tenterfield depot currently has 11 employees and an Essential Energy spokesperson said a workforce review is on the cards.

“Essential Energy's revised regulatory proposal outlines a sensible plan to deliver lower network charges for regional and rural customers while continuing to find efficiencies and improve productivity.

“An overall workforce review will be conducted once the AER (Australian Energy Regulator) issues its final determination on April 30, 2015,” the spokesperson said.

The AER has proposed retrospectively reducing Essential Energy’s revenue allowances by 27 per cent over the 5 year period to 2019 based on reduced cost of capital, reduced operating expenditure and more than a 60 per cent real reduction in the capital investment program, compared to the previous five years.

The move would jeopardise safety and reliability of electricity supply in the bush, according to Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall. 

“It’s a shallow economic rationalist assessment of the electricity networks across rural NSW that, if implemented, will jeopardise jobs, but also the safety and reliability of electricity supply in the bush,” he said.

Essential Energy currently services 95 per cent of the NSW landmass but only 24 per cent of NSW customers.

Company chief operating officer Gary Humphreys said the regulator’s planned changes would mean an immediate job reduction and an inability to place apprentices in training.

 “The [regulator’s] draft determination proposes significant additional cuts to Essential Energy’s revenue,” Mr Humphreys said.

“If implemented, the [body’s] draft determination would mean a likely significant reduction in vegetation management programs over the next four years.”