Chambers Ireland has called on the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) to move rapidly to ensure that the electricity market is fully deregulated as soon as possible. The call was made in a submission by Chambers Ireland to a Commission for Energy Regulation consultation on electricity tariffs through to September 2010.

 

Seán Murphy, Deputy Chief Executive, Chambers Ireland said, “We fear that the current pricing regime may be maintaining electricity prices at an artificially higher level—with a view to incentivising more players into the market—than would be the case if the market was fully deregulated. To date, this regime has delivered an island of Ireland market made up of very significant international companies.”

 

“Consumers have now been fully sensitised to the opportunities available to them to switch suppliers. Indeed more than 200,000 customers have moved from ESB Customer Supply to Bord Gáis in recent months. However, the reality is that this \'competition\' is being driven by two state owned entities and calls into question the gains in the long-term to consumers from the current regime.”

 

“Given that the CER has committed in its consultation to draft a \'road map\' for full deregulation later this year, we support a speedy move to a fully competitive market. However we note that a truly competitive energy market will only be assured when Ireland has more electricity interconnectors to the UK and, in the medium term, France,” Murphy concluded.