The Electricity Supply Board, the EBS, is a state-owned electricity company operating in Ireland. With a holding of 95%, ESB is majority-owned by the Irish Government, with the remaining 5% held by the trustees of an Employee Share Ownership Plan.

The ESB was established as a statutory corporation under the Electricity (Supply) Act 1927 to deliver a national electricity system. While historically the ESB operated as a monopoly, the ESB now operates as a commercial semi-state body, whose members are appointed by the Government of Ireland.

The ESB is composed of several distinct, and legally separate companies, with one of these companies being Electric Ireland.

Electric Ireland is a regulated supply company, one of about fourteen companies operating in the domestic market. Electric Ireland is the retail division of ESB.

Previously known as ESB Customer Supply and ESB Independent Energy, the retail division of ESB was rebranded to Electric Ireland in 2012 following the deregulation of the electricity market in Ireland. Recognised as one of Ireland’s leading energy providers, Electric Ireland supplies electricity, gas and energy services to over 1.2 million households and 95,000 businesses in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. In 2021, Electric Ireland's market share was said to be around 31%, meaning that they were the second largest supplier of electricity in Ireland in 2021.

The ESB website states the following under “Who We Are - At ESB, we believe that electricity is a social good that should be accessible and affordable for all.”

On the 1st of September 2022, Electric Ireland announced plans to increase residential electricity bills by 26.7% and gas bills by 37.5% with effect from the 1st of October 2022. This will be the third price increase in electricity prices made by Electric Ireland in 2022, with previous announcements in May and June 2022.

The October increases equate to €37.20 per month on the average residential electricity bill and €42.99 per month on gas, based on the estimated annual bill as defined by the CRU.

Electric Ireland’s parent company posted operating profits of €679m in 2021 – up 10% on 2020.

The question that needs to be asked is:

• if Electric Ireland is effectively state owned; and
• if one of the goals of Electric Ireland is to deliver electricity that is accessible and affordable to all; and
• if Electric Ireland are posting operated profits in the hundreds of millions;

– how can they justify a third price increase in the cost of electricity and gas in 2022, same being a measure that will undoubtedly lead to a majority of the population of Ireland ending up in fuel poverty?

Our political establishment have a duty to act in the best interest of those who put them into power and considering that Electric Ireland is effectively owned by the state, and therefore owned by the people, the announcement of a third price rise in 2022 is scandalous. This will leave many people in a situation where they have to choose between food and heat.

Electric Ireland is owned by the people and it is reasonable to expect the Government to intervene and revoke the price hike announced by Electric Ireland on the 1st of September 2022.

Energy can be viewed as the life blood of any society and it is, therefore, crucial that a Government can independently provide for the energy needs of its citizens.

I sign this petition to ask the Irish Government (as majority shareholder in the ESB / Electric Ireland) to revoke the Electric Ireland price rise announced on 1 September 2022, before 1 October 2022.