Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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594. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if grant aid is availiable to businesses or farmers to connect a three phase electricity supply; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40081/16]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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My Department does not administer grant aid for such a scheme.

The Farm Electrification Grant Scheme (FEGS) was administered and funded through the former Department of Community Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs (DCEGA) and then by the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government from January 2005 to 31 December 2011. The scheme is no longer in operation. In that time, however, some €511,000 was paid to farmers under the scheme to subsidise the installation of electricity supply to farms located in disadvantaged areas which were without supply or where supply was inadequate to facilitate their development and modernisation. The maximum grant payable was €508 for single-phase supply and €1,016 for 3-phase supply.

Currently, the levying of connection charges is an operational matter for ESB Networks. ESB Networks operates the distribution network on the electricity grid. This is the medium and low voltage electricity network used to deliver electricity to connection points such as houses, offices, shops, business premises, and street lights. ESB Networks is responsible for building, maintaining and operating the distribution level network infrastructure including all overhead electricity lines, poles and underground cables used to bring power to Ireland's customers.

Tariffs and charges levied by ESB Networks are regulated by the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER), a statutorily independent body.  In order to ensure that only equitable levels costs are collected through these tariffs, the CER carries out annual reviews of ESB Networks’ costs incurred in developing, maintaining and operating the distribution system.

Further information on the levying of charges on electricity customers and complaints in relation to connection the electricity network should be addressed to the CER who may be contacted at 01 4000800, 1890 404 404, energycustomers@cer.ie or Commission for Energy Regulation, The Exchange, Belgard Square North, Tallaght, Dublin 24.