Today we publish our ‘Contestability - Next Steps’ paper.
Contestability was first introduced in Northern Ireland in 2015. Contestability has emerged in response to the introduction of competition in the installations of new connections within Northern Ireland.
Contestable works are the elements of the connections work (cables and other plant associated with the new connection) which can be undertaken by an ICP (Independent Connection Provider) rather than NIE Networks.
In February 2021, we published a consultation reviewing contestability in Northern Ireland and exploring the possibility of further establishing contestability in electricity connections.
The purpose of this paper is to set out the next steps to take the contestability process forward in Northern Ireland.
This paper covers various factors in relation to the process of establishing further contestability in Northern Ireland, including;
- Timelines for establishing further contestability
- The scope of contestability
- Risks and mitigations in establishing further contestability
- Roles and responsibilities in establishing further contestability
Accompanying the Next Steps Paper, we are also publishing ‘Appendix 1’, which details the scope of contestability that will be introduced for LV final connections at distribution level in Northern Ireland.