Timeline

24 June 2005

  • Ofgem announced that it was undertaking an investigation into the new contractual arrangements.
     

17 May 2006

  • Ofgem published a Statement of Objections (SO) detailing their initial findings – that National Grid had abused its alleged dominant position by entering into ‘exclusionary contracts’.
     

10 August 2006

  • National Grid submitted a comprehensive written response to the Statement of Objections rebutting Ofgem’s allegations.
     

27 April 2007

  • Ofgem amended their allegations in a further SO stating the contracts limited and restricted the commercial benefits that gas suppliers and customers might expect to obtain if they were to switch to another service provider.
    However, the main allegation was narrower than in the first SO; basically that if the contracts had been structured in a different way, they would have made greater numbers of meters available for free replacement.
     

8 July 2007

  • National Grid again submitted a comprehensive written response to the second SO, entirely rebutting Ofgem’s allegations.
     

17 October 2007

  • Ofgem sent National Grid a “put back letter” which accepted National Grid’s principal argument in its response to the second SO, but sought to demonstrate that the metering contracts could have been structured in such a way as to make it less expensive for suppliers to remove more of National Grid’s meters earlier than the contracts provided for.
     

8 November 2007

  • National Grid responded to Ofgem’s “put back letter” and demonstrated that its contracts were in fact less restrictive than the alternative suggested by Ofgem.
     

25 February 2008

  • Ofgem announce that they find National Grid to be in breach of the Competition Act.
     

21 April 2008

  • National Grid lodges appeal notice to the Competition Appeal Tribunal.
     

15 - 28 January 2009

  • Competition Appeal Tribunal Hearing takes place.
     

29th April 2009

  • The Competition Appeal Tribunal announces its decision.