renewable energy magazine
The Commission for the Regulation of Utilities’ roadmap for the delivery of the EU’s Clean Energy Package’s energy and renewable directives outlines how the CRU plans to deliver Ireland’s renewable and energy goals in 2021. The deliverables for the year 2021 that the CRU lays out in its roadmap, published in February 2021, can be broken down into three subgroups: updates to the retail market; new market activities and the role of the distribution system operator (DSO).
Updates to the retail market In terms of updates to the retail market, the CRU began conducting an internal review in 2020 to assess what updates were needed to the Supplier Handbook to comply with new requirements in the EU’s Electricity Directive; this review will continue into 2021. The CRU will “explore the options on how to introduce
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these few updated requirements around billing information, contracts, switching, smart meters and terms and conditions”, with the handbook update process following similar procedure to the last update, meaning a consultation will be published to “allow for market participant input, which will be followed by a subsequent decision”. The rollout of smart metres will continue to be monitored by the CRU, and engagement with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications on the transposition of the Electricity Directive will also continue, “with focus on the smart metering articles”. CRU is also in the process of
developing the Smart Meter Data Access Code, which will “define rules of access, and processing of, personal data from smart meters”. The code will “ensure there is a clear set of criteria outlined for data access to ensure consumer protections are in place for data being accessed through smart meters”.
New market activities A consultation will be published that will address the feedback received from calls for evidence on active consumers and energy communities put out in 2020, “as well as some follow-up discussions which were held with industry stakeholders and market
