Power NI energy prices to be reviewed by watchdog

Energy prices have come down from their record peaks in 2022

Northern Ireland's Utility Regulator has begun a regular review of Power NI’s prices.

The review does not necessarily mean prices will change, although electricity costs have recently increased in the rest of the UK.

It is expected the review will conclude by the end of October and an announcement will follow soon after.

The company, which operates Northern Ireland's electricity grid, has also said supplies will be more secure this winter.

System Operator for Northern Ireland (Soni) says there is an "improved picture" compared to last year.

Last winter, Kilroot power station was not operating because its coal-fired generation had been shut down and its new gas-fired units were not ready for use.

The gas turbines began limited operation in March.

Despite fears of supply shortages when Kilroot was off-line, there was only one brief "amber alert", meaning the buffer between electricity supply and demand was tighter than Soni would have liked.

'Sufficient generation'

Soni’s director of operations, Emma Morris, said: "Our latest studies show that we expect there to be sufficient generation to meet consumer demand this coming winter in normal operating conditions, even when we consider the expected natural variation of demand, renewable generation, and interconnector flows."

However, she added there had been some "recent challenges with unforeseen forced outages of conventional generation".

In August, there was an amber alert following an outage at Coolkeeragh power station, near Londonderry.

Ms Morris added: "While some of these challenges may remain in the period leading up to winter, our experienced grid control engineers have tried and tested plans in place to minimise the risk of any disruption".