At a debate about the future of energy markets this week, the group’s external affairs adviser Mervyn Kohler said: “I do think it is a shame the CMA has not cast its net wider to look at the broader dimensions of the energy market. Solar power and the feed-in-tariffs help people to address the costs that they are facing.
“This would have been a useful extra strain to the investigation.”
Other panellists at the debate were also scathing of the inquiry. Tempus Energy director and general counsel Sophie Yule criticised it for “focussing on the thin crust of the retail market” and ignoring the capacity market, balancing market and the wholesale markets.
“Just as the media has focused on the retail market because that’s what customers care about, the CMA has fallen into the same trap whether deliberately or inadvertently and because of that we don’t think there is going to be any real change,” she said.
“We already have lots of technologies and the CMA haven’t really understood what is currently out there and what is currently happening,” she added.
EDF Energy’s director of strategy and corporate affairs Paul Spence condemned the investigation for being “very careful to stay away from energy efficiency”.
Suppliers are currently in consultation with the CMA on its provisional findings and the final report is expected in June 2016.