DETI Puts All-Ireland Electricity Market Before Interest of Consumers
02 March 2012
Statement by TUV leader Jim Allister:
“TUV has always opposed moves towards a single electricity market on the island of Ireland because it subsumes us within the ambit of ESB monopoly and consequently means Northern Ireland consumers will pay more for their electricity. In order to underscore this point I have tabled multiple questions to Minister Foster, the most recent of which asked her to publish the comparable Northern Ireland, Great Britain and Republic of Ireland prices for each of the last ten years. To my surprise the Minister has replied that the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment “does not routinely collect comparative data on domestic electricity prices”.
"How can DETI oversee and guide energy policy without even having recourse to such basic information?
“It beggars belief that DETI could champion a policy of ever greater integration with the Republic’s electricity market without having this data to hand. How can they justify their position without even having this elementary information to hand?
“This is basic information that the paying public should have access to. What is more, the public used to have access to it.
“DETI used to have all this information to hand providing comparisons on electricity prices in the Republic, the average in Great Britain, GB regions and a formula to determine the best comparable Great Britain price.
“It is obvious that an all-Ireland policy is being pursued at the expense of the consumer and Northern Ireland prices are being aligned away from the lower cost structure in Great Britain and towards the more expensive system in the Republic.
“The comparative price data would prove this. It therefore seems to me that DETI doesn’t hold the data because they know that what it would show. It would demonstrate, I believe, how detrimental the Department’s policy is for Northern Ireland consumers.”
Note to editors
Mr Allister’s question and the Minister’s reply were as follows:
To ask the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment if she will publish the comparable Northern Ireland, Great Britain average and Republic of Ireland domestic electricity prices for each of the last ten years.
My Department does not routinely collect comparative data on domestic electricity prices. However, both the Utility Regulator in Northern Ireland and the Department of Energy and Climate Change in GB publish electricity tariff comparison information on their websites.
