Allister attacks ESB Monopoly
14 December 2006
Speaking during a debate in Strasbourg on EU energy policy, DUP MEP Jim Allister attacked the continuing monopoly of state-owned ESB in the Republic of Ireland, citing it as an obstacle to a competitive trade in energy throughout the British Isles.
In the course of his remarks Mr Allister said:-
"You can't have an open market in energy and a workable policy of energy-sharing without transparent competition. The Commission's Green Paper recognises this. Yet on the island of Ireland, as part of a wider British Isles and European project, the opportunities for a free and fair market are being stifled by the state domination of the Republic of Ireland's market by the ESB. Its near monopoly on both generation and distribution must be broken, as it is keeping others out of the market and smothering competition. The Dublin Government has been tardy in moving to break this monopoly. I call today on the Commission to be more robust in demanding delivery of this necessary change.
With monopoly goes subsidised inefficiency and high prices and so it would be for the consumers in my constituency, Northern Ireland, if we became a minority part of an energy market dominated by an unreformed ESB. That we cannot have."
Commenting further Mr Allister said, "For a truly competitive market in electricity on the island of Ireland two things are required: Viridian and other UK businesses must have fair access to the ROI market with ESB not simply allowed to expand its dominant position, both in generating and supply, into Northern Ireland and thus structural changes will be necessary to dismantle ESB's dominance and, secondly, further interconnection with GB must be promoted so that a truly British Isles-wide and Europe linked energy approach is secured?"
