Northern Ireland Electricity Networks Case Study

Explore our Northern Ireland Electricity Network UK case study to see how we collaborated with industry experts to address critical regulatory challenges, identify overcharges, and deliver outcomes that protected consumers and upheld transparency.

What the Client Needed?

Northern Ireland Electricity Network Ltd (NIEN) and the Utility Regulator required expert assistance to investigate inconsistencies in NIEN’s capitalisation practices. The goal was to determine whether these practices had resulted in financial detriment to consumers and to provide a robust basis for regulatory decisions. The investigation required project management, drafting key reports, and collaborative investigation.

How we Helped them?

Forensic Accounting

MCC led a major piece of this project in Northern Ireland, alongside an engineering consultancy (SKM) and a financial consultancy (PKF, now BDO), with regards to inconsistencies in Northern Ireland Electricity Network Ltd (NIEN’s) capitalisation practices. Our contributions to this project included:

  • Project Leadership: Managing the end-to-end investigation process, ensuring seamless collaboration among all stakeholders.
  • Regulatory Support: Drafting actionable reports for the Utility Regulator board, providing clear and evidence-based recommendations.
  • Expert Analysis: Working with engineers, economists, and legal advisors to uncover inconsistencies and quantify consumer impact.
  • Advocacy for Consumer Interests: Supporting the Utility Regulator’s efforts to adjust NIEN’s valuation, ensuring fairness and accountability in the energy market.

Through this work, MCC demonstrated its ability to navigate complex regulatory challenges and deliver impactful solutions that safeguard consumer interests.

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I was delighted that MCC's work was completed on time, and within budget, helping us deliver important changes and improvements, to the benefit of our stakeholders. ​ MCC's report is published on the CCC website.

- Bea Natzler
Team Leader at Climate Change Committee, UK

I am delighted to recommend MCC Economics. Specifically, I worked closely with PJ, who helped us with our Nuclear and CCUS projects. PJ helped us develop new policies and answer questions from our stakeholders. ​​His support helped us deliver important changes and improvements, to the benefit of our stakeholders.

- Gordon Hutcheson ​
Head of Nuclear Policy at Ofgem, UK

MCC Economics has helped us better understand the most important issues for our stakeholders, including: charges, shareholder returns, debt payments and inflation impacts.

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Section Head at Department of Energy, Abu Dhabi

I am delighted to recommend PJ and his team at MCC Economics. We've been working together on National Policy Statements to help meet net zero targets for 2030 and 2050. We initially appointed MCC Economics to support us on offshore wind consultation analysis and have recently reappointed MCC Economics to undertake a larger consultation analysis role across all sectors, including hydrogen, CCUS and networks. I can confirm that they have shown excellent spreadsheet skills, alongside very good project management, planning and analysis skills, helping us deliver important changes, and continuous improvements, to the benefit of our stakeholders.

- Amy McHugh
Head of Environment in the Energy Infrastructure Planning Policy, UK

I am delighted to recommend PJ and his team from MCC Economics. They helped us with our price controls for Heathrow airport and for NATS (En Route) plc (the air traffic services provider). Specifically, the MCC team helped us deliver important changes and improvements to our financial models and supporting policy documents, to the benefit of our stakeholders.

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Head of Corporate Finance at CAA, UK

I am delighted to confirm that I worked with PJ on a retail project in 2015. The project helped stakeholders understand electricity costs and charges. Specifically, the project helped us explain to stakeholders, internally and externally, why electricity charges differed across the regions (GB, NI & Ireland). PJ was a key member on the project team, which helped deliver changes and improvements in the understanding of energy retail.

- Kevin Shiels
Director at Utility Regulator, Northern Ireland

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