“No routes” for NIE networks to make compensation payments after Storm éowyn

There are no “routes” for Northern Ireland electricity networks to make clearing payments that have lost energy during the Éowyn storm, a working group said.

Almost 326,000 houses and business lost power as a result of the January storm.

The widespread damages were mainly caused by trees that hit electricity. Over 90 % of the primary stations of NIE in Ireland have registered wind gusts exceeding 90 km / h.

A working group involving the Department for Economics, Nie Networks and the utility regulatory authority was created to take into account the compensation for the most affected by energy interruptions.

It was established at the request of the Stormont Executive to take into account the options in which the payments will be recovered through the electricity invoices of the customer.

However, the group concluded that there is no “currently that there is no existing way to make payments to customers.”

A spokesman for the Department for Economics said that Nie Networks applied a severe weather exemption, which is provided in the legislation based on which customers would usually request compensation if they were outside the supply of electricity.

“The working group concluded that any other options involving the recovery of payments in network taxes would require legal or regulatory changes that cannot be retrospectively applied to those customers affected by Storm éowyn,” they said.

“If Nie Networks voluntarily refuse to apply the exemption from severe weather, customers would pay 50 % of the cost of compensation through electricity invoices next year, and NIE shareholders would agree to bear the rest.

“No other shareholder of the UK electricity company or Ireland was asked to bear the costs of Compensation for Storm Eowyn, which was an unprecedented weather event, and did not blame the disturbance caused by the storm.”

The spokesman added: “All the organisms involved in the response to Storm Eowyn will consider learned lessons and the need to consider appropriate and accessible measures to strengthen the resistance to reduce the impact of future severe meteorological events.”