ESB hires senior official from energy regulator

ESB

has hired a senior official from the energy regulator’s office who was involved in monitoring the activities of the company and its industry peers.

Clive Bowers was a senior regulator at the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER), who until recently helped to oversee the market power function of the commission.

Mr Bowers was also deeply involved in preparations for the new all-island electricity market (iSem – the integrated single electricity market) that kicks in in 2017 and in which ESB will be the most powerful operator. He chaired the market rules working group for iSem, which also includes senior staff from ESB.

ESB declined to comment directly on the appointment, and did not comment when asked if it had been contacted by the regulator about it.

Open and transparent

“ESB is a commercial business competing in an open market for resources. All recruitment by ESB is carried out in an open and transparent manner. It is not uncommon for individuals to move between organisations,” it said.

CER also declined to directly comment on the move by Mr Bowers to one of its regulated entities. It said all the regulator’s staff are obliged to abide by strict confidentiality rules .

“They are also fully aware that they are bound by these contractual obligations when they leave the organisation,” said the regulator’s office.

“The CER takes all necessary steps, including, where appropriate, removing the individual from the work area and limiting their access to IT systems, to ensure that the integrity of the organisation is not compromised in this regard.”

Mr Bowers was until recently a prominent participant in meetings between regulatory bodies and energy companies.

Industry meetings

In April, minutes show he attended a meeting of the modifications committee of the single electricity market operator in Belfast. In November, he chaired in Dublin a meeting of the iSem market rules group, alongside staff from utilities including ESB.

In February, he chaired a meeting of the group in Belfast, while in January he attended a meeting of the iSem business liaison group.

A May meeting of the iSem project manager group was told that Mr Bowers was leaving his role at the regulator.