Power grid firms strike a deal

THE operators of the power grids on both sides of the border have struck a deal to cooperate on developing a single electricity market for the island.

ESB National Grid and the System Operator Northern Ireland, a subsidiary of Northern power generator Viridian, will set up a single market operator, which will have an all-Ireland identity and provide the efficiencies needed for a unified market.

A detailed planning agreement will be signed by February of next year, while the single market will kick-off in mid-2007.