Leading Irish corporate law firm Matheson Ormsby Prentice and leading UK law firm Wragge & Co LLP welcome the commencement of the Single Electricity Market for the island of Ireland.  Both firms played a leading and strategic role in the establishment of the new Electricity Market.

The team at Matheson Ormsby Prentice, led by Michael O'Connor, partner and head of the firm's Projects and Construction Group, and supported by team members Peter McLay (formerly of the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER)) and Paul Brickley, advised the CER and the Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation in relation to the legislation, licensing and transition aspects of the Single Electricity Market.

Energy partner Derek Goodban led the Wragge & Co team supported by John Cooper, partner, and Gus Wood, associate. They advised the Regulatory Authorities in relation to the legislation, licensing, restructuring of the contractual arrangements required for and transition aspects of the Single Electricity Market in Northern Ireland.

The legislation to introduce the necessary changes was introduced in both jurisdictions earlier this year and trading in the new market began yesterday, 1 November.

Michael O'Connor, partner and head of the Projects and Construction Group at Matheson Ormsby Prentice said: 'Cross-border projects as challenging and as complex as the All Island Single Electricity Market Project do not happen very often.  To have had a leading role in the successful implementation of such a strategic and exciting project has taken us to the forefront of regulatory reform in the electricity sector.'

Derek Goodban, partner at Wragge & Co said: 'We have supported the Regulatory Authorities in implementing something never done before – a ground-breaking cross-border wholesale electricity market that will benefit consumers of electricity across the island of Ireland. It is an important venture and another example of the calibre of work handled by our cross-firm energy specialists.'

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For further information about this press release, contact Kathryn Hobbs on +44 (0)121 685 2785, Rebecca Davies on +44 (0)121 685 3819, Gayle Redding on +44 (0)121 685 2708 or Rebecca Lum on +44 (0)121 260 9973

This press release may contain information of general interest about current legal issues, but does not give legal advice.