Debate contribution: Energy Market

Debate contribution by Mr Philip McGuigan on 11 June 2024.

MLA

Mr Philip McGuigan

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

11 June 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Energy Market

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4496048

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Following on from the Chair of the Committee, I think that it is important to say that the members of the Economy Committee have had a good working relationship, as is reflected in the numerous motions that we have debated in the Chamber that were within the Economy Minister's remit and focus. There has been broad consensus, and I do not expect that to differ today. I thank the Alliance Members for tabling the motion, which is on an important subject that is worthy of discussion. Undoubtedly, the significant increase in the cost of energy has had an adverse impact on many households and businesses and deepened the cost-of-living crisis. While there have been global factors at play, our over-reliance on fossil fuels has made the North particularly vulnerable to price rises and put us at the mercy of major corporations. Those corporations, while claiming that market volatility meant that they had to cover their increasing costs, have managed, year-on-year, to make record profits while families struggled to heat their homes, fill their cars and keep the lights on. Short-term interventions, such as the energy support payments, which were necessary, are not sustainable in the long term. As we look to address growing fuel poverty, with the ultimate ambition of its eradication and meeting the targets in the Climate Change Act and the path to net zero energy strategy, it is clear that we need to progress at pace towards clean, renewable and affordable sources of energy. That will not only assist us to protect and improve our environment but provide us with reliable and sustainable energy. It will also allow us to strive for energy independence, which is particularly important, taking power out of the hands of the profiteering corporations and putting it into the hands of ordinary people, potentially through initiatives such as community energy projects, co-ops and microgeneration. Additionally, a wealth of opportunities can be found, as others have said, in the green energy sector, and, with proper investment, some of the recognised challenges can be addressed, such as planning, storage and capacity. On this island, we have the potential to become leaders in the field. We are known for our innovative engineering and manufacturing capabilities, and we need to harness and maximise the benefits for the environment, our citizens and the economy. The transition to renewable power must be a just one, however. Workers in energy-intensive industries must be protected through initiatives such as upskilling and retraining. Lower-income families must not be penalised. The public should be encouraged and, through grants and other schemes, supported when it comes to adopting such schemes. Ultimately, the cost of moving towards renewable energy sources should fall not on the shoulders of ordinary people but on the industries and companies that use the majority of energy here. The motion's ambitions to achieve net zero and energy security go beyond the remit of the Economy Minister. Others have clearly indicated that, and I know from discussions in Committee that we need to look at the planning process and at how it can be adapted to assist with those ambitions. The motion also references the Utility Regulator, which certainly has a key role to play in ensuring that the transition to net zero is a just one. If we can increase the scoping powers to allow it to do that, we should do so. The amendment calls for:

"a large-scale social housing retrofit programme to reduce domestic fossil fuel consumption and increase energy efficiency",

which would clearly be beneficial, although the short timeline, such as the six-month deadline included in the amendment, could mean rushed, high-level proposals rather than costed, achievable solutions. On the whole, however, we are content to support the overall principles of the motion and the amendment.

628 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 10:44 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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