He will serve under the charimanship of John Wotton, former solicitor at Allen & Overy, and alongside commissioner of the gambling commission, Graham Sharp.
The panel will determine the appeal referred to it by British Gas and Northern Powergrid in early March and, if it is deemed necessary, will set a new price control for the power networks.
In a statement, Northern Powergrid said any potential changes to RIIO-ED1 as a result of the CMA appeal “will not affect network prices until April 2016” at the earliest.
The distribution network operator (DNO) said it “remains focussed on delivering its customer’s expectations and requirements both now and in the future”.
“This includes investing to improve the network, reducing network charges, delivering connections 30 per cent quicker, reducing the average duration of power cuts by 20 per cent and many other services detailed in our plan,” it continued.
The four other affected networks declined to comment on the potential impact on their business plans of a retrospective change.
However, in a statement, SSE Power Distribution said the inquiry “will not have any impact on distribution companies’ base revenues in 2015 and 2016”. Distribution managing director Colin Nicol said that maintaining a transparent regulatory framework must be a “key priority”.
When asked, a spokesperson for the Energy Networks Association (ENA) told Utility Week it would be “inappropriate to speculate” about the impact on each of its members.
“Each DNO will have to evaluate the CMA’s final decision on their own business in due course,” they added.
Yesterday, the CMA confirmed it will move forward with a probe into RIIO-ED1, having accepted calls from British Gas and Northern Powergrid to appeal. Ofgem has verified the ED1 framework would be implemented as planned on April 1, telling Utility Week it would be “adjusted retrospectively according to CMA ruling”.