Airtricity gas and electricity supply division unveiled

AIRTRICITY, the Dublin based renewable energy firm, has entered the Irish electricity and gas supply sector and is targeting a 15% share of the Irish market by 2013.

The newly launched Airtricity supply division is hoping to pick up around 500,000 customers — made up of a combination of domestic and corporate clients. The company is hoping to sign up its first commercial gas supply customer by November, with its first foray into the domestic market targeted for April of next year.

Airtricity Supply managing director Kevin Greenhorn said the company is positive on the prospects for a healthy switching environment to emerge in the Irish domestic energy market. Airtricity’s new owner — Scottish & Southern Energy (SSE), which bought the company from its Irish owners for €1.1 billion — benefited from a domestic energy supply sector in Britain, where 55% of consumers switched providers since deregulation.

Mr Greenhorn said the new company would look at introducing many of SSE’s products to the Irish market, which could see it providing electricity, gas metering services, telecom cabling and street lighting.

Elsewhere, NOW Ireland — or the National Offshore Wind Association of Ireland — has welcomed the Government’s announcement that Ireland will partner Scotland in a study of interconnection possibilities between the two countries.

Airtricity’s offshore development officer, Arno Verbeek, said: “Interconnection of energy supply is critical to the widespread deployment of renewable energy. The linking of systems allows for a smoothing of energy supply and saves considerable money on peaking plant.”