New bill could see fines of up to £100,000 for electrical infrastructure damage

Contractors who damage electrical infrastructure could be fined up to £100,000, if new legislation is approved in parliament.

A bill to amend the electricity act makes it an offence to damage such infrastructure.

The legislation follows last month’s power outage, caused by a contractor cutting through cables.

A bill has been published, but it will now have to go before Parliament before becoming law.

The nearly seven-hour outage last month appears to have been the catalyst for drafting legislation aimed at tackling power cuts caused by contractors.

Under the new rules, the Electricity Authority would be given powers to fine those responsible for damaging electrical infrastructure and causing a power cut.

The fine could be up to, but no more than, £100,000 - with the money going into the Government’s Consolidated Fund.

The definition of “damage” covers electric lines, cables, and any plant or machinery used to deliver electricity to end users.

The GEA would not be able to fine someone if that person has been convicted of the offence or if criminal proceedings are ongoing.

There would also be a right of appeal through the Magistrates’ Court.

The offence would be one of strict liability - meaning prosecutors wouldn’t need to prove the defendant intended to cause damage.

The bill does not mention anything about insurance.