Part 4 Economy Com Questions to Jo Aston Managing Director of @soni_ltd this is the question the MD would not answer, my Colleague @CStalfordMLA asks did @Eirgrid play a part in writing submission to Utility Regulator’s investigation into SONI governance & Independence....

The MD starts by saying that she ‘works with her colleagues, works as a single Electricity Market’. STOP ! This has absolutely nothing to do with Single Electricity Market ! Its about Northern Ireland having an independent System operator that can work in partnership with EirGrid

When the SEM was created SONI was required by Condition 24 of its System Operator License, EirGrid was required by Condition 4 in sections B and C of its System Operator License to enter into the System Operator Agreement and thereafter to comply with it and maintain it.

The system operator Agreement states that each SONI and EirGrid have an adequate number of personal with suitable training and experience available for the purposes of fulfilling their interface obligations

When the Utility Regulator first announced their call for evidence around SONI governance this same Managing Director circulated an email to all staff informing them that the board of EirGrid will be reviewing and considering a response to the Utility Regulator call for evidence

This Managing Director also told staff in that same memo that it is important that the organisation speaks with one voice and she asked staff to acknowledge that , even though The Utility Regulator has stated that it would be useful to have staff perspective on transparency?

I asked this SONI MD a very specific question , has Richard Bruton Minister in the Republic of Ireland Government requested to see full response that SONI or EirGrid will be submitting to the Utility Regulator before it’s submitted ?

Answer , She refused to answer

The Utility Regulator has asked SONI to set out how the current governance arrangements apply to Northern Ireland facing activities such as planning and the extent to which the work is wholly managed and directed within SONI .

Now the Utility Regulator’s investigation has moved to a more formal stage, these are the fresh questions that were put to @soni_ltd by the Utility Regulator. SONI missed the deadline for answering these questions !

Further questions put to @SONi

And yes , further questions put to @soni_ltd

So when MD of SONI states that she “works with her colleagues” in EirGrid in making a submission on SONI governance & independence that is wrong ! There are two licences issued to SONI. A market licence and a TSO licence because they are two distinct things.

The Utility Regulator’s Call for Evidence document sets this out very clearly, so when MD of SONI started to talk about Single Electricity Market that is something that clearly isnt even within the remit of the UR's investigation and should have been known to the MD.

It’s also crucial to remember that off the back of the MD Memo to SONI staff about responding to the UR individually, The UR had to actually provide an update to the CfE & an extension to set out for SONI staff how they could respond anonymously if they were frightened to engage.