Energy price rise deliberateunder FF coalition

The Fianna Fáil-Green Party government led by taoiseach Brian Cowen deliberately chose to impose higher electricity prices on ordinary households in the middle of the economic downturn in order to reduce energy costs for 1,500 large businesses.

Cabinet papers released under the Freedom of Information Act show the coalition penalised domestic consumers by favouring cost-cutting measures to support some of the biggest multinationals in Ireland.

The documents show that in July 2009, Eamon Ryan, the then communications, energy, and natural resources minister, sought government approval for “the permanent rebalancing from October 1, 2010, of network tariffs towards large energy users to be paid for by higher prices to domestic consumers”.