The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has formally requested that the Energy Regulator rescind the recent 20% hike in electricity prices.

Electricity prices are to go up by almost 20% from next January, it was announced today.

IRELAND’S gas supplies will be unaffected by the row in Europe over Russian supplies of the fuel, according to the Commission for Energy Regulation.

THE Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) has formally signed off on next year’s electricity price rises.

DESPITE unrelenting upward pressure on oil and gas prices there will be no rises in the cost to consumers for the next 12 months.

Ian Guider

THE energy regulator spent almost €8 million on external consultants over a two-year period.

THE rise and rise of Airtricity, Ireland’s largest wind farm company, is one of the most striking indigenous success stories of recent times.

CONSUMERS could be hit with another 4% hike in electricity bills from January because of tighter controls on carbon dioxide emissions, which could add to business costs, Independent Energy Regulator Tom Reeves warned yesterday.

THE international arm of the ESB has won a contract to manage and oversee the construction of a power plant in Namibia.

The Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Noel Dempsey has announced the appointment of Tom Reeves as chairman of the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER).

The energy regulator has approved a 4% increase in ESB prices for domestic customers just one week after a separate 9% increase took effect.

THE Energy Regulator Tom Reeves will be asked to justify the latest 9% hike in electricity charges to an Oireachtas Committee next month.

THE government watchdog for the gas and electricity sectors spent nearly €5 million on consultants’ fees last year.

CONSUMERS will be hit with a double price hike next month after the energy regulator gave the go-ahead for an increase in the cost of gas and electricity.

THE Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) is today expected to give the green light for the ESB to increase prices by 8%.

Price rises for gas and electricity will tell on the botton line for Irish manufacturing industry and will result in significant increases in the cost of raw materials, according to Director of the Small Firms Association Pat Delaney.

CONSUMERS and business groups are bracing themselves for gas and electricity charges to rise by 15% and 12% respectively.

The energy regulator Tom Reeves is believed to be set to reject the ESB’s request to implement an 8% price increase in September.

THE ban on connecting windfarms to the national power network is set to be lifted after the energy regulator issued new guidelines over the weekend.

A 13% rise in ESB charges would be unacceptable to farmers, ICMSA Farm Services and Environment Committee chairperson Lorcan McCabe has claimed.

THE ESB was severely criticised yesterday for seeking to charge customers between 12 and 13% more when the company made profits of €249 million last year.

ISME has condemned an ESB application for an increase in electricity prices.

CONSUMERS face significantly higher ESB bills because of the surge in electricity production costs.

The ESB is reportedly facing fines of up to €12m if it fails to improve the performance of its power stations.

A new provision known as "Fast Build" is being put in place by the Energy Regulator to cater for potential shortages in Ireland's electricity supply.

IRISH wind farms need to meet higher technical standards before the ban on connections to the power network can be lifted, the national grid operator said yesterday.

THE Government yesterday insisted it was committed to trebling Ireland’s green energy output by 2005 as outraged wind farm providers demanded the ESB National Grid reverse its decision to halt new power connections to the grid.

THE energy regulator Tom Reeves has selected two preferred bidders for contracts to build two new independent power generation plants.

THE average ESB bill for domestic users will pass the €100 mark for the first time, following yesterday’s announcement of a 5% increase in the cost of electricity.

The increase in electricity charges announced yesterday by the Commission for Electricity Regulation will have a serious impact, both directly and indirectly, on the consumer when it becomes effective next January.

ELECTRICITY costs for Irish consumers will remain among the cheapest in Europe, despite large increases in the average ESB bill from next month.

A RISE in gas and electricity bills couldn’t come at a worse time, consumer groups warned yesterday, after the announcement that Bord Gáis was set to apply for an increase.

ESB bills will go up from January, after the Electricity Regulator approved a 13.25% increase yesterday.

Householders here are expected to find out later today how much more they will have to pay in electricity prices.

CONSUMERS are paying an extra 200 euro to connect a new house to the national electricity grid, it has emerged.

HOUSEHOLDERS face an increase of around €15 in their monthly electricity bills later this year.

ESB customers are now facing a 15% price hike in the next two months.

Consumers are this afternoon bracing themselves for an increase in their electricity bills.