€20 million SmartestEnergy contract for ESBIE

ESB Independent Energy (ESBIE) has signed a major contract for €20 million for the supply of electricity to SmartestEnergy, the UK's leading energy consolidator. The contract represents ESBIE's entry into Britain's electricity supply market.

The power is being sourced at ESB's Coolkeeragh plant in Northern Ireland and transmission is via the Moyle Interconnector. It is the first time that the interconnector has been used to supply Britain from Northern Ireland. (This is a further investment in yet another component of the energy infrastructure of Northern Ireland.) Coolkeeragh has been in commercial operation since April 2005. In addition to supplying its local market, Coolkeeragh is now supplying the adjoining markets of Britain and the Republic of Ireland.

This contract represents another level of participation by ESB in the British energy market. ESB has had a presence in that market since 1992 as joint owner of the Corby Power Station, for which it is also responsible for plant operations and maintenance.

ESB is currently developing an 800-megawatt plant at Marchwood, near Southampton. SmartestEnergy is the UK's leading consolidator for the independent generation sector. SmartestEnergy is a whollyowned subsidiary of the Marubeni Corporation of Japan. Marubeni Corporation was founded in 1858 and incorporated in 1949. It is one of Japan's leading general trading houses, managing businesses across a wide range of industrial sectors throughout the world. In total, the Marubeni Group has over 24,000 employees worldwide.