Archibald updates Assembly on Utility Regulator Consultation following Storm Éowyn
Date published:
Economy Minister, Dr Caoimhe Archibald, has today published a written statement updating the Assembly on the Utility Regulator’s (UR’s) consultation of the Electricity Guaranteed Standards of Service (GSS).
Under the current GSS, a severe weather exemption was applied by NIE Networks in the wake of Storm Éowyn. This meant payments could not be made to many households left without electricity.
In the statement the Minister said: “Currently these standards allow the electricity distribution company – NIE Networks – to apply for an exemption in cases of severe weather events. This exemption cannot be overruled by government.
“This issue was brought into sharp relief by Storm Éowyn which left many households without electricity. The Utility Regulator is carrying out a fresh consultation on a range of GSS issues and it will include options for payments in severe weather conditions, along with the likely costs of those options.”
The written statement includes detail of the timeframe for the consultation, which will be published in the week commencing 27th October 2025.
The Utility Regulator will offer their Decision paper and draft regulations to the Department for the Economy in March 2026.
The Minister also highlighted the smaller population size of the north when facing these events, adding that, with a smaller population than Britain, the cost of payments after a major storm here would be shared among fewer people, meaning the cost to each consumer would be greater, and that the administrative costs of any scheme could potentially also be relatively high.
The Minister concluded: “NIE Networks have commenced a strategic review of network resilience and its response to severe weather events.”
Notes to editors:
- The Minister’s Written Statement can be accessed from the Department’s website
- In January 2025, the region experienced one of the worst storms in its history, Storm Éowyn, with more than 285,000 premises (homes and businesses) losing supply.
- Following the Storm, a working group was established as a response to the Executive’s call for compensation payments to be made. The Utility Regulator, NIEN and Department representatives were asked to explore how compensation, recoverable from electricity bills, might be paid, what amount would be paid and when it would be paid. The working group concluded that compensation could not be paid under the existing legislative and regulatory framework.
- In Action 14 of the Energy Strategy Action Plan 2025 the Utility Regulator committed to consulting on amendments to the Electricity Guaranteed Standards of Service, including in relation to incidents of adverse weather.
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