Shadowing Practice: How will the Iran war affect Ireland's electricity prices? | RTÉ News - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Now, since the war in Iran began, energy prices have steadily increased.
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57 sentences
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Now, since the war in Iran began, energy prices have steadily increased.
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The worry is that electricity will be next, and Irish households already pay among the highest electricity prices in Europe.
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Well, with me now to discuss what could lie ahead is Dara Lyon, a CEO of the Electricity Association of Ireland, which is a representative body for the electricity industry.
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Dara, thanks so much for coming in to speak to us this evening.
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The Minister for Energy, Dara O'Brien, this week caused some alarm when he said that energy prices, electricity prices, I should say, could be up by about €150 in a year and that it could happen in the next few months.
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Is that what you see happening?
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Well, I don't think anyone knows the answer to that question except suppliers themselves.
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And those decisions will be based on a number of factors.
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One, how many customers they have, what kind of tariffs they have and their own risk appetite.
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But two big factors will also play into that, how long the Iran war continues and the price of gas.
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Retail prices in Ireland generally track gas prices.
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That's because gas, it makes up 50% of our electricity generation.
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And when you look at the price of futures gas, that is gas for next winter, it's about 109.
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Today, it's about 108.
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And in January, it was about 97 cent.
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But we did see when the Strait of Hormuz was opened, gas prices came down.
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So the hope is that there is a quick end to this war.
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It will have an effect on gas prices.
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And as suppliers start to hedge for next winter, that those gas prices will be much lower.
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And when does that hedging start?
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Is it for today?
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Is it for three months time, a year's time?
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It's really in slices.
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So they can hedge for a day, a week, for six months ahead and up to two years ahead.
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And that is the IP for each supplier.
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They have traders that try to gauge the risk, how much they need and how much to hedge at any given time.
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So they're constantly looking at the prices ahead, constantly decided when to jump into the market and when to jump out.
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We know that the European Commission has said that governments should be able to do more now and they're looking at grid charges, taxes, all of that.
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And we know that network charges and taxes make up about 30 or 40% of what you pay in your electricity bill.
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Is there an argument now for the government to take on those charges for maintaining the network themselves and to also reduce the tax on electricity?
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Well the network charges are set by the regulator and they're set for a five-year term and what they've decided in terms of the investment that the likes of ESB networks need and Airgrid need, that they will add charges.
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charges but the charges are in the region of one euro and 75 cent per month and for that we get upgrades on the grid 100,000 houses connected a million EVs on the system and a half million heat pumps on the system so it's very good value however the tariffs to use the network are also up for revision and I think there's there is room for flexibility there that where you can bring on demand when there's excess electricity, then maybe there's a way that tariffs could flex to allow that electricity to come on the grid.
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Do you see some scope in what the European Commission has been talking about for help for consumers if electricity prices do increase?
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It was a great document, the Accelerate EU, and it's given a whole list in the Annex of things that governments can do.
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In Ireland, we have a low taxation on electricity.
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We've already reduced the VAT rate down to 9%.
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But I think that the European Commission will look at taxation across the board on energy and maybe set some rules for all member states to do.
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But we already have substantial grants for EVs, for retrofits that they've looked for.
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They've looked for freezes in public transport.
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Ireland brought that in a number of years ago.
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And we also have moratoria on disconnections during the winter period, all part of the list of actions within that annex.
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Okay, now arrears are still a really big problem in this country when prices increased.
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after the war in Ukraine started, the number of people in arrears also increased.
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Do you think that is likely to continue and how should it be tackled?
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I think arrears have been stubbornly high and I think the next step is to go a bit deeper into who is in arrears and to what amount.
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And I think concentrating on some of the high arrears, maybe into the area where people just won't pay and then into the arrears where people are unable to pay.
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And I think if we can disaggregate that data, concentrate on the vulnerable customers and give supports, for example, like an electricity allowance through their bill.
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And this is where the likes of the Department of Social Welfare has to come in rather than blanket reductions blanket credits for everybody we need to make sure that the credits go to vulnerable customers and we saw during the last time credits were applied arrears went down and what about there'll be lots of people worrying now that their electricity prices might be going up because they've seen petrol diesel home heating oil all go up what options do people have bar turning off the electricity not using it Well, I think that would not be wise.
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I mean, people need to be warm, they need to have their showers, they need to cook.
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But one thing that we've invested heavily in Ireland, ahead of a lot of European countries, is we've put in 2.1 million energy smart meters.
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And only 30% of customers have actually activated them.
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If they talk to their supplier, ask for their smart meter to be activated, they get half hourly data that they can collect over a period of time.
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ESPN have a wonderful portal that you can get your daily weekly all set out on your profile it allows you then to go back to your supplier and say here's my profile over the last three months what's the best tariff for me how can you save me money.
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There was some fear at the start when smart meters came in that the tariffs were more expensive and has that stopped people switching over?
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I think there's a there's a combination of looking at your profile it's hard for people to make that leap into the unknown but by activating your smart meeting you have your data every half an hour of consumption and that can be uploaded to your supplier or the supplier can assess your usage and then put a tariff to you that you then can save money on.
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Okay, Dara Lyonis, CEO of the Electricity Association of Ireland, thank you.
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Thank you.

Why practice speaking with this video?

Engaging with the video titled "How will the Iran war affect Ireland's electricity prices?" offers an enriching opportunity for English speaking practice. By analyzing real-world discussions about energy economics, you can improve your ability to articulate complex topics with confidence. This context not only enhances vocabulary but also familiarizes you with the language used in current events, which is particularly helpful for those preparing for interviews or the IELTS speaking practice. Practicing this way enables learners to effectively use the shadowing technique, where you mimic the speaker to improve your fluency and rhythm, commonly referred to as shadowspeak.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

This video is rich in useful grammatical structures and expressions that can boost your speaking skills:

  • Conditionals: The speaker discusses potential electricity price increases with conditional phrases like “if electricity prices do increase,” helping learners understand how to express uncertainty and hypothetical scenarios.
  • Future tense: Phrases such as “could be up by about €150 in a year” illustrate projections and future possibilities, essential for discussing expectations in various contexts.
  • Comparative and Superlative Forms: The speaker comments on “the highest electricity prices in Europe,” providing excellent examples of how to use comparative language to describe situations.
  • Direct and Indirect Speech: The video offers several instances of reported speech when discussing statements made by officials, which is valuable for understanding how to relay information.
  • Phrasal verbs: The term “jump into the market” exemplifies the use of phrasal verbs, enhancing everyday conversational skills.

Common Pronunciation Traps

There are specific words and phrases within the video that may pose challenges for English learners:

  • “Electricity”: This can be tricky due to its multiple syllables. Focus on breaking it down: e-lec-tri-city.
  • “Hedging”: The pronunciation may be unfamiliar; practice emphasizing the “h” sound and the short “e” vowel.
  • “Tariffs”: Ensure clarity with this term as it can be easily slurred into two syllables. Emphasize the first syllable: “tar-iffs.”
  • “Arrears”: This word can be particularly difficult due to its vowel sounds; practice saying it slowly: “a-rears.”

Incorporating the shadowing technique while paying attention to these pronunciation cues will significantly enhance your speaking abilities. Aim to repeat phrases after the speaker to develop natural intonation and clarity.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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