Viridian, the Northern Ireland electricity company, has accused the ESB of "slowing down" its £300 million plan for a new power station at Huntstown, Co Dublin, which it is planning with CRH. The company said the ESB continued to deny it important information, such as the costs of accessing the ESB's distribution system. The company said there would be no "open market in electricity by February 2000" unless the ESB immediately released the information. The company was speaking ahead of today's publication of the ESB's annual report and accounts.

A Viridian statement said "electricity is the last bastion without competition" and the sooner it develops the better it would be "for economic development and customers".

An ESB spokesman said this statement should be applied to Viridian as it had an "utterly dominant position in Northern Ireland's power market".