Research Papers 2014

Synopsis: Below you will find a list of Enterprise, Trade and Investment Committee research papers published in 2014.

The availability of open ordnance survey data in GB, NI and elsewhere

- Date: 25/11/2014

This paper has been prepared for the ETI committee and looks at the availability of open ordnance survey data in GB, NI and elsewhere

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Smart grid capital expenditure within price controls

- Date: 04/11/2014 - Author: Aidan Stennett

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Renewable Energy Initiatives within the Public Sector

- Date: 12/06/2014 - Author: Martin McTaggart

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of initiatives taken within the public sector to implement forms of renewable energy, with a particular emphasis on measures taken by local authorities

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Provisions Contained in the EU Tobacco Products Directive

- Date: 26/02/2014 - Author: Martin McTaggart

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the provisions contained within the revised Tobacco Products Directive (TPD). It assesses the implementation and potential impact on Member-States of the proposed revision to the TPD, whilst offering some context for Northern Ireland’s tobacco industry.

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Electricity prices: European comparisons

- Date: 27/01/2014 - Author: Aidan Stennett

This paper compares domestic and industrial electricity prices across 32 European countries. The allocation of component costs on a per kilowatt charge basis is also examined.

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Power NI: Hedging

- Date: 27/01/2014 - Author: Aidan Stennett

The Utility Regulator requires a company to outline its hedging policy in advance in a hedging policy statement. The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief overview of this hedging policy statement and to outline the hedging products available to electricity suppliers within the Single Electricity Market (SEM). It has not been possible to provide specific details of Power NI’s historic hedges as this information is commercially sensitive.

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Power NI: tariff methodology

- Date: 27/01/2014 - Author: Aidan Stennett

This paper supplements Northern Ireland Assembly Research and Information Service paper 11/14 ‘Electricity tariffs: components and legislative underpinnings’. It does so by outlining how Power NI’s total allowable revenue is broken down into the pence per kilowatt hour (p/kWh) rate consumers pay for their electricity. Information on this is limited due to commercial sensitivity.1 It is therefore, only possible to discuss the tariff methodology in general terms.

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Electricity tariffs: components and legislative underpinnings

- Date: 27/01/2014 - Author: Aidan Stennett

This paper provides a brief outline of the legislation which underpins the Northern Ireland electricity market. The latter part of the paper provides a breakdown of Power NI’s retail tariff and outlines the reasons for the recent increase in these component parts. The focus on Power NI’s retail tariff is due to that fact that it is the only tariff upon which all details are publicly available since it is a regulated tariff.

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Electricity: security of supply

- Date: 27/01/2014 - Author: Aidan Stennett

This paper provides an overview of evidence presented to the Enterprise, Trade and Investment Committee1 on the issue of electricity security of supply. To provide context the paper begins by examining historic electricity consumption in Northern Ireland and outlining forecasted consumption until 2022.

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