CBI Northern Ireland responds to announcement on socialisation of energy costs

Angela McGowan, Director, CBI Northern Ireland, said:

“We welcome today’s announcement on the socialisation of costs for new connections to the electricity distribution network. This is a significant step forward for the local business community, which has traditionally faced connection charges that could run into hundreds of thousands of pounds and deter investment.

“By bringing Northern Ireland into line with the rest of the UK and Ireland, this new approach will see a larger share of connection costs spread across all customers and recovered over a longer period. The CBI is confident that this change will help unlock new investment opportunities and stimulate sub-regional growth across Northern Ireland.

“Importantly, this policy shift will help to level the playing field for local investors relative to other regions and provides much-needed support at a time when the cost of doing business is exceptionally high.”