Renewables in the Wholesale Market
All-island SEM
Since 1st November 2007 there has been a single wholesale electricity market in place across the island of Ireland, known as the Single Electricity Market (SEM). The SEM was put in place by the two regulators north and south (Utility Regulator in Northern Ireland and CER in the Republic), working in cooperation with the two Governments and the electricity industry.
The SEM allows for generators to sell their electricity into a "central pool" and for electricity suppliers to purchase their electricity out of this pool. The SEM is designed to ensure that the most efficient electricity plants are run first (in the absence of any network contraints).
The SEM is regulated by the SEM Committee, which is a cross-jurisdictional body made up of the two regulatory authorities (CER and Utility Regulator) and an independent member.
For a high-level overview of SEM, how it is governed and how it operates, please see the CER factsheet on SEM which is available here.
Full details of the design of SEM, the SEM Committee and its regulatory consultations/decisions can be found on the Regulators' website for the SEM - www.allislandproject.org