No deal ‘could plunge North into darkness’

Shared energy grid may split, Brexit file leak warns

THE North could be plunged into darkness from power cuts after a no-deal Brexit, official British government contingency plans warn.

The revelations come after earlier leaks showed how the officials even proposed to moor barges with emergency electricity generators off the north coast in a worst-case scenario.

A draft of a no-deal notice dealing with what would happen to the shared energy grid, which crosses the border and covers the whole of Ireland, warns the North could be left ‘isolated’ after Britain formally leaves the EU on March 29 next.

The British have also warned the contingency plan could push up bills by a third and lead to the lights going out in times of high power-demand. The grim ‘Fake news’: Ian Paisley Jr scenario, drawn up for contingency purposes, was dismissed as ‘fake news’ by DUP MP Ian Paisley Jr.

The North Antrim MP, who is under a one-month suspension from the House of Commons for taking undeclared holidays from the Sri Lankan government, added in a tweet: ‘Don’t forget planes falling out of the sky, food shortage, mass unemployment and pestilence!’

The just-in-case contingency blueprint said the all-Ireland electrical grid could split, ‘leaving an insecure, isolated NI market’. That in turn could see bills in the North rise by up to 34%, lead to blackouts and the need for prompt intervention.

The all-Ireland grid and energy market has been in place since 2007 and allows for a single electricity market (SEM) to operate across the whole of the country.

It is underpinned by Ireland and Britain’s joint membership of the EU’s Internal Energy Market (IEM).

All EU members participate in the IEM, along with Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

Participation requires alignment with EU rules, including industrial emissions regulations and restrictions on state aid.

Work carried out by UK officials said the surest way to maintain the SEM is for continued UK participation in the IEM. Keeping the SEM operating ‘in any way possible’ was described as a priority.

The officials suggest even if there is no withdrawal deal, the British government could seek a special deal with Ireland and the EU to keep the SEM operating and avoid an energy crisis in the North.

However, they cautioned that such an arrangement would still not fully mitigate legal risks to the SEM.

The draft, seen by the BBC, points out sharing the energy market requires continued alignment with EU rules on industrial emissions, regulations and restrictions on state aid.

The Irish energy market could likely be resolved in a side deal outside of the Brexit talks if necessary, in a similar way to rules over flights and nuclear power.

When asked about the North’s power supply, the UK’s Brexit Department said it does not comment on leaks.

christian.mccashin@dailymail.ie