The Commission for Electricity Regulation has moved to ease rules governing access by new power suppliers to the national grid. The Commission today unveiled proposals aimed at boosting competition and encouraging the earlier entry of players into the newly-liberalised market.
The proposals, effective from the end of May, include giving players definite time guarantees on when they can imput their electricity into the system - thereby easing financial uncertainty during the potentially long periods required to prepare the grid for increased supply.
Regulator Tom Reeves also plans to introduce incentives aimed at speeding up the construction of power stations and at cutting down delays on any upgrading of the system by the ESB to accomodate new players.
Reeves said he was concerned that current rules had made it difficult for newcomers at a time when extra capacity was badly needed. 'These proposals are intended to ensure the earlier construction of new, clean, and highly efficient power stations and increase competition that will bring obvious benefits to customers,' he said in a statement.
The ESB had to import 120 MW of emergency generators from the US to get through the winter, and will have to do the same to meet the expected shortfall next winter.
It is building a new 400 MW gas-fired plant in Dublin in a joint venture with Norwegian energy company Statoil, which is expected to come on stream in 2002. Northern Ireland rival Viridian is also building a 340 MW plant at Huntstown, outside Dublin, which is due to begin producing next year.
