Northern Ireland’s Utility Regulator has started a review of how SONI, the Province’s electricity grid operator, is run. It will focus on whether it is sufficiently independent of its parent company Eirgrid, the Irish-state owned company which has owned it since 2009.

The regulator said: “We now consider it appropriate to undertake a review of the governance arrangements of the electricity transmission system operator, SONI, to ensure the company is, and will continue to be, fit for purpose in securing the protection of the interests of consumers and other stakeholders.