Employers warn that regulators' plans to impose extra charges on some businesses for using the electricity network at peak times could face a legal challenge. Photograph: Alan BetsonRegulators’ plans to curb electricity use by charging big companies tens of millions of euro extra for using the network could face a High Court challenge, employers warn.
Neil Walker, Ibec’s head of infrastructure, energy and environment, warned that any suggestion that the regulator was acting beyond its powers risked judicial review proceedings, where a High Court judge would scrutinise its decision. The CRU does not comment on individual submissions during a consultation, but said it reviewed all responses carefully and took them into account when making its final decision.
Ibec questions whether these charges are a “sound basis” for either temporary or longer term funding for emergency generators. However, Mr Walker said some of these businesses might already have contracts committing them to increasing electricity consumption. “It is not realistic to expect these sites to reduce their offtake whenever the contribution from wind and solar is below a specified level, which is thousands of hours every year,” Mr Walker said.