Further delays for electricity market By Sophie Barker

October 12, 2000

OFGEM, the energy regulator, yesterday admitted its troubled new electricity wholesale market would have to be delayed for a second time, until after January 30, because of technical glitches. The new delay will come as a blow to the Government and the regulator, both of which are banking on the new electricity trading arrangements (NETA) cutting power prices by 10pc. Only last month, Ofgem head Callum McCarthy had to postpone NETA's launch from November 21 to an unconfirmed target date. Julian Bagwell, NETA project director, said the new market would not be launched until after "the Christmas period", which he said meant after January 30. An Ofgem spokesman said: "We knew this could be a difficult time. There's a lot of testing to do. We are trying to get a timetable. It's not a case of being embarrassing. This is a reality. NETA is a very, very complex, difficult and highly ambitious project." One analyst said the delay was "confirmation there are serious technical problems". http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=000122257519214&rtmo=qXbpMKb9&atmo=rrrrrrfs&pg=/et/00/10/12/cnofg12.html

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), October 12, 2000