Electricity Regulation Act, Number 23 of 1999

The Electricity Regulation Act established the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER). It gives the Commission the power to grant licences to generate and supply electricity, the power to grant authorisations for the construction of generating stations; and provides for the access to the transmission or distribution system by licence holders, holders of authorisations and eligible customers.
The functions and duties of the CER have been altered and expanded significantly by legislation transposing EU directives into Irish law and the introduction of new primary legislation, including the Energy (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2006, Electricity Regulation (Amendment) (Single Electricity Market) Act 2007 and the Petroleum (Exploration and Extraction) Safety Act 2010.
These pieces of legislation have given the CER powers in relation to the all-island Single Electricity Market (SEM) and they have also given the organisation safety-related responsibilities in the energy sector.