EirGrid

<!-- I'm adding this until the copyvio gets sorted - User:Ali-oops -->EirGrid plc is the state-owned electric power transmission operator in the Republic of Ireland. It is a public limited company registered under the Companies Acts; Its shares are held by the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources who appoints the board and the Minister for Finance. It is one of the state-sponsored bodies of the Republic of Ireland and is regulated by the Commission for Energy Regulation.

History

EirGrid was established under Irish and European laws including the European Communities (Internal Market in Electricity) Regulations, 2000, to enable competition in the Irish power sector It took over operation of the National Power System on July 1, 2006. While the ESB currently holds ownership of the physical assets, a Government white paper on energy policy proposes transferring ownership of the transmission assets to EirGrid in order to encourage competition and benefit consumers. This has been backed up by a commitment in the Government's Framework for Economic Recovery and a statement by former Minister Eamon Ryan that he is establishing a process for this transfer.

The transmission assets constitute 6,500&nbsp;km of overhead line and underground cable, as well as over 100 bulk substations. The system's significance for competition is that most large independent generators connect to the transmission system and utilise it to transport...
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