People in the North overcharged for electricity
It was revealed today that people in Northern Ireland are being overcharged for electricity.
Poor negotiations at the time the electricity service was privatised mean that the average household will have paid £1,600 (€2,323) too much by the year 2010.
By the end of this decade, Northern consumers will have paid £1bn (€1.45bn) more for their electricity than people in Britain.
Energy regulator Douglas McAldoon said legal contracts negotiated in the 1990s have been effectively subsidised by the consumer.
On privatisation, the new owners of the North's power stations did deals to allow them to overcharge.
The contracts also allow them to keep out competition by ensuring that any newcomers must charge the same until the year 2010.
