ELECTRICITY blackouts across Northern Ireland could follow a no-deal Brexit, government officials are to warn.
Fears that the lights could go off after a `hard' departure from the EU were expressed last month when the British government issued a set of technical notices about how sectors would cope in a such an eventuality.
The energy sector was not included in those notices, but it was seen by many observers as an inevitable consequence.
Details have now emerged of the a 'no deal' notice obtained by the BBC about the impact on the all-island Single Electricity Market (SEM).
Among the predictions are risks of price increases and supply shortages.
Although the SEM, which has allowed a single market to operate across the island since 2007, is a bilateral arrangement between the UK and Ireland - not part of EU structures - it is underpinned by both countries' membership of the Internal Energy Market (IEM).
Membership requires alignment with EU rules, including industrial emissions regulations and restrictions on state aid, leading to fears this could put SEM at risk if negotiations to not result in a deal, "leaving an insecure, isolated NI market", with a rise of up to 34 per cent in bills.
The officials have said the British and Irish governments could attempt an EU-endorsed deal to keep the SEM, but it may not see the same levels as before Brexit.
Full detail of the SEM "no deal notice" will revealed when it is published next month.
