The Utility Regulator has published a consultation on a licence modification to the 'Provision of Information to the Authority' licence condition for all electricity and gas supply licences
The driver for this licence modification is our new Corporate Strategy which is focused on greater transparency, including publishing more relevant information that promotes the interests of consumers and reflects the expectations of stakeholders.
The current 'Provision of Information to the Authority' licence condition effectively provides that we may not request information from the licence holder for the purposes of the exercise of its functions under Article 7 of the Energy (Northern Ireland) Order 2003.
Article 7 of the Energy Order provides that where it appears to us that the publication of any advice and information would promote the interests of consumers, we may publish that advice and information in such manner as we see fit.
We consider that the current licence condition places unnecessary constraints on our ability to obtain information which could potentially promote the interest of consumers if we were to publish that information or advice, based on the information.
This is the first of two consultations. In the first instance, we are focusing on electricity and gas supply licences. A second consultation is being developed for all other relevant electricity and gas licences.
For more information on the consultation and how to respond, please visit our consultation section.