The Authority has decided to formally accept commitments from SSE in relation to its investigation. The investigation looked at whether SSE had infringed Chapter II of the Competition Act 1998 and/or Article 102 Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union by abusing a dominant position and putting its competitors at a disadvantage in the electricity connections market in the area covered by SSE’s electricity distribution network in the south of England.
The accepted commitments address the competition concerns that were identified during the course of the investigation. The alternative to accepting commitments would have been to continue the investigation. This would have required the use of significant additional resources before being able to determine whether there had been an infringement of the Competition Act.
Formal acceptance of the commitments by the Authority means that the investigation has been closed. No decision has been taken on whether or not SSE plc had infringed competition rules. The commitments are binding and enforceable under section 31E of the Competition Act 1998.