Eoywn storm: higher invoices for compensation is not an option, says the minister

Speaking in New York City, Archibald told the BBC Evening Extra program that his concern, as a minister, was “completely about consumers” and that the highest invoices “were not an option.”

“Possible ways and options were explored and impacted on consumers’ invoices, and that is something that many clients would not appreciate much, that the impact would feel both in terms of NIE and a business and their cost of capital that would impact the invoices of consumers.”

She said that the alternative options that were observed would mean that “consumers would essentially absorb costs.”

“None of those, in my opinion, was the right way because the cost would have been assumed by consumers in both situations,” Archibald added.

Archibald said that one of the challenges to establish a compensation scheme was that having a “small population” would mean the impact of compensation and the number of customers affected by storm Éown would mean that the “cost could be quite significant for customers.”