Background and Policy Objectives
In 2008, the Department was asked by both the Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation (the Utility Regulator) and representatives of the gas and electricity industry to consider introducing legislation that would update current legislation applying to the natural gas (gas) sector in Northern Ireland, to enable that sector to benefit from policies that had already been successfully implemented in the electricity sector; the Department was also asked to consider introducing legislation to create a special administration regime applicable to both the gas and electricity sectors.
The policy objectives in relation to the major measures contained in the resulting Act are set out below.