Governments commit to all-Ireland energy market

The all-island energy market, based on a cross-border partnership, can deliver mutual long-term economic benefits, north and south, according to Northern Ireland, Energy Minister, Angela Smith.

Speaking at the Energy Ireland conference on the future of the Irish energy market, the Minister said: “A modern energy infrastructure that is able to deliver reliable and sustainable electricity and gas at an economic price will form one of the cornerstones on which Northern Ireland’s economic performance can grow.

“We also need to consider how we can best deliver sustainability in energy supplies, not just by exploiting the opportunities for locally based research and innovation in alterative energy sources, but also by exploiting the opportunities at an all-island level.”

The Minister welcomed the "significant progress" which the Northern Ireland Authority for Energy Regulations (NIAER) and Commission for Energy Regulation (CER), had made. She said: "The Memorandum of Understanding signed by the respective transmission system operators is further evidence of the tangible outworking of the agenda set out in the All-island Energy Market Development Framework.”

The Minister concluded: “Work on this agenda has begun in earnest, through a productive partnership between the two Governments, Regulatory Authorities and industry stakeholders. However, we have only just started and a single all-island market must deliver mutual benefits, north and south and I believe it will.

“I am committed to the ambitious programme of work, which has started and will be working closely with the Minister for the Department of Communications, Marine & Natural Resources, Noel Dempsey, TD, to make it a reality.”

An all-island energy market is one of the key policy initiatives that will support Northern Ireland’s Economic Vision, a strategy document published in February, 2005.

(SP)