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The Energy Networks Association (ENA) has called for written clarity that distribution network operators will not be affected by their inclusion in the opening up of onshore electricity assets until 2023.
The ENA’s director of policy Tony Glover said in an evidence session to the Energy and Climate Change Committee that the ENA would like clarification that the inclusion will not actively affect DNOs during the current price control, which ends in 2023.
He added that the government has said the inclusion of DNOs within the legislation at this stage is “forward planning”.
Glover said: “The fact that distribution networks have been added to the show at a very late stage, without any kind of impact assessment, we have some uncertainty issues around that.
“Obviously we do not want that to be impacted by a level of uncertainty for something that was not considered as part of the companies’ business plans when that price-control process was underway.”
He added that as competition for DNOs has existed for the last decade, so the ENA fully supports competition.
“I think we need something explicit and in writing that is clear about the intentions of Decc and the government in this respect,” he said.
The opening up of onshore transmission assets to competition is one of the proposals included in the draft energy act currently in pre-legislative scrutiny.
The act also proposes to extend the secretary of state’s powers to intervene in the smart meter rollout to ensure its timely delivery until 2023.
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