The Utility Regulator has revoked Open Electric’s licence to supply electricity to consumers in Northern Ireland.
Speaking about this announcement, Jenny Pyper, Chief Executive of the Utility Regulator said:
“Customers of Open Electric do not need to worry, particularly over the Christmas period, and they will not experience any disruption to their electricity supply. All of Open Electric’s customers have now been switched to Power NI, which is the nominated supplier under the contingency arrangements established for this kind of situation by the Utility Regulator, Power NI and NIE Networks.
“We have been carefully watching market developments in general, particularly over the last few weeks, and have been speaking with suppliers. As soon as we decided that Open Electric’s licence should be revoked, we activated established arrangements to ensure that affected customers did not lose their electricity supply, and were transferred seamlessly to Power NI.
“Open Electric’s customers have now all been transferred to Power NI on the same tariff basis as Power NI’s existing customers. We regulate Power NI’s tariff so customers can be assured that the price they pay, reflects the actual cost of delivering electricity to their home or business.
“Those customers who pay by Direct Debit or pay when they receive a bill, do not need to do anything further at present. However, they will need to contact Power NI to set-up their preferred payment option as bank details have not been passed on. Customers who have a Pay As You Go meter will need to contact Power NI to receive a new keypad number in order to top-up their meter, but their supply will not be affected.
“Power NI can be contacted on 0800 011 3435 or via their website www.powerni.co.uk . We have prepared a Q&A document, available on our website www.uregni.gov.uk. Power NI will be in contact with all those customers who have transferred over the next few days.
“While in any competitive market it is not unusual that companies exit (and enter) the market from time to time it is important that arrangements are in place to protect affected consumers. The contingency arrangements that we have put in place, along with other stakeholders, ensures that customers of Open Electric will not experience any disruption to their electricity supply.”
Our question and answer document is available here.
Media contact - Adele Boyle, 07787 279584.