It was due to take €50 million off high electricity user bills annually but was mistakenly applied as a percentage rather than a limit by the ESB, which was “a significant discrepancy”.
The matter was raised by Senator Lynn Boylan , who said the rebalancing measure ended up being subsidised by domestic consumers, and should not have been provided at a time when householders were struggling during an economic crisis. Independent Senator Alice Mary Higgins said that while she did not agree with reasoning behind the subvention in the first place, the question was “how was this happening over the past three to four years in the context of a cost of living crisis?”
December had been marked by a cold period with low wind, which meant tight margins on supply but Eirgrid’s work ensuring power plant maintenance during last summer meant there was good quantities of dispatchable electricity available. Ireland would be an even better position to ensure security of supply in the winter of 2023-24, she believed.
There has been a 30 per cent increase in the number of registered vulnerable customers, but stressed vulnerable customers could only receive the necessary support if they register with their supply companies. People Before Profit Deputy Bríd Smith expressed disquiet that people were still in a cost-of-living crisis when wholesale gas and electricity price reductions were not being passed on.