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Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Mr Denis Naughten TD, has welcomed the recent election of Mr Garrett Blaney as the next Chairperson of the Board of Regulators of the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) and the next President of the Council of European Energy Regulators (CEER). He will succeed Lord Mogg in both roles as of 6 November 2017 for a term of two and a half years.

ACER is a European Union Agency and was created by the Third Energy Package to further progress the completion of the internal energy market both for electricity and natural gas. CEER was established in 2000 for the cooperation of the independent energy regulators of Europe.

Garrett Blaney is a Commissioner at the independent Irish energy regulator, the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) since 2010.

Speaking on the appointments Minister Naughten said "The election of Garrett Blaney, by his peers, to these positions is a significant achievement and a tribute to his broad international and European regulatory experience and expertise which has been evident in his positions as CER Commissioner and as co-chair of the CEER Working Group on Distribution Systems. It can also be viewed as a recognition of Ireland’s commitment to strong independent energy regulation with robust legislative underpinning.

I wish to extend my congratulations to Mr Blaney and wish him every success in these two important EU level elected Chair positions. I look forward to continuing to work closely with him and his colleague CER Commissioners as we move towards a low carbon energy future.”

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Note:

Garrett Blaney
Garrett Blaney has been a member of the Commission for Energy Regulation since February 2010, and acted as Chairperson from February 2014 to February 2017. Garrett’s lead responsibilities with the Commission relate to Electricity Networks (Interconnection, Wind Connections), Wholesale (SEM/I-SEM), Generation (Conventional, Renewable, Licensing) and Security of Supply. He also leads international relations. Prior to working with CER, Garrett was Strategic Development Director for Viridian Power and Energy, and before that was the Asian Regional Director for ESB International.

Garrett was elected as Chairperson of the Board of Regulators of the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators on 18th September 2017.
Garrett Blaney was elected as President of the Council of European Energy Regulators on 20th September 2017.

ACER
The Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER), a European Union Agency, was created by the Third Energy Package to further progress the completion of the internal energy market both for electricity and natural gas. ACER was officially launched in March 2011, and has its seat in Ljubljana, Slovenia. As an independent European structure which fosters cooperation among European energy regulators, ACER ensures that market integration and the harmonisation of regulatory frameworks are achieved within the framework of the EU’s energy policy objectives.
The Board of Regulators of ACER consists of senior representatives of the National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) and one non-voting representative of the European Commission. The Board of Regulators of ACER elect the Chair from among its Members. The election takes place by secret ballot.

CEER
The Council of European Energy Regulators (CEER) was established in 2000 for the cooperation of the independent energy regulators of Europe. It seeks to facilitate the creation of a single, competitive, efficient and sustainable EU internal energy market. CEER's work complements (and does not overlap) the work of the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER). ACER, which has its seat in Ljubljana, is an EU Agency. CEER is a Belgian not-for-profit association. They share similar objectives. ACER’s focus is on what is required in the legislation and CEER does everything else in energy regulation. CEER's motto is fostering energy markets, empowering customers. CEER's work includes international cooperation, smart grids, sustainability, Demand Side Operators and customer issues.

The President of CEER is elected by the General Assembly. The General Assembly comprises all members of CEER – There are currently 29 regulators who are members.