Energy and Natural Resources
Activity and interest in the energy sector in the island of Ireland has grown significantly over the past number of years and we have been involved in almost every material development in this dynamic and evolving area.
Driven by both European Union and government policies, key catalysts in this rapid sectoral change include:
- Liberalisation of the electricity generation and supply markets;
- introduction of independent regulation of the Irish electricity and gas sectors by the Commission for Energy Regulation;
- Competitive measures to remove or limit Electricity Supply Board and Bord Gáis Éireann monopolies in generation, transmission and supply;
- implementation of an all-island wholesale electricity market by November, 2007;
- Increasing demand for renewable energy and green energy solutions geared towards meeting Kyoto obligations, NI renewables obligations, and reducing dependence on traditional, increasingly expensive fossil fuels;
- Increased interconnection between Northern Ireland/Scotland and Ireland/Northern Ireland and proposed Ireland/Wales interconnection
- Increased competition in the Northern Ireland electricity generation and supply market;
- Discovery of potential indigenous sources of gas off western and southern coasts of Ireland and development of a second Ireland/UK gas interconnector; and
- Liberalisation of the gas market.