A £90m UK government scheme to subsidise electricity prices for Northern Ireland’s business community has been delayed by Brussels. The three-year programme was due to have been put in place by the end of June but has not won approval from the European Commission.
Northern Ireland Electricity said that it had agreed to keep the business tariffs, as they are to give the Department of Enterprise more time to negotiate with the European Commission.
A DETI spokesman said the state aid scheme was aimed at pegging tariffs for industrial and business customers at 10% below true costs. The subsidies are designed to boost industrial competitiveness in Northern Ireland.
