Debate contribution: Energy Security: Renewables

Debate contribution by Mr Mark Durkan on 24 March 2026.

MLA

Mr Mark Durkan

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

24 March 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Energy Security: Renewables

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5463744

Read the official Assembly record

Text

The motion speaks to major and ever-growing issues that people are facing across the North, which are the cost of energy, security of supply and the reality that too many households remain exposed when there is instability in other parts of the world. The conflict in the Middle East has, once again, shown just how vulnerable we are. When global prices rise, families feel it in their heating bills, businesses feel it in their overheads and those who are already struggling with the cost of living are pushed even further. That matters even more here, because Northern Ireland starts from a weaker position than most. We already have the highest levels of fuel poverty anywhere in the UK, so price increases hit harder and last longer. In my constituency of Foyle, the vulnerability is very clear. At the time of the 2021 census, 54% of occupied households in the Derry City and Strabane District Council area relied on oil-only central heating, while only around 7% had any form of renewable energy system. That tells us how exposed many families still are to fossil fuel prices. When the cost of heating oil rises, people in Derry — people everywhere — feel it immediately, and, for many, there is absolutely no alternative. That situation is not inevitable. Rather, it is the result of slow progress and of a failure to build an energy system that can withstand shocks. Our dependence on imported fossil fuels leaves us exposed to decisions that are taken far beyond these islands. We saw that after the invasion of Ukraine, and we are seeing and feeling it again now. Each time, the pattern repeats itself. Prices rise, support is rushed together and long-term decisions are delayed once the crisis passes. If we want to protect households and businesses, that cycle has to end. We need to produce more of our own energy and build a system that is modern, resilient and properly connected. Northern Ireland has the natural resources to do that. We have strong wind potential, an all-island electricity market and a unique position between the British and European energy systems. Those advantages should make us more secure, but, too often, progress has been too slow. Infrastructure has not kept pace, investment has stalled and key projects have been delayed. Stronger cooperation across this island and across these islands must be part of the solution. The all-island electricity market already improves efficiency and security of supply. Building on that through having better grid connections and shared infrastructure is one of the most practical ways in which to lower costs. That is why the continued delay around the North/South interconnector makes no sense. It is difficult to argue for cheaper energy while failing to deliver the infrastructure needed to deliver it. We also need to modernise the grid. Renewable energy is sometimes wasted, because the system cannot carry it. That is known as dispatch down, as I have learnt today, and it drives up costs for consumers. We therefore need to escalate and accelerate initiatives to capture and use that energy for the benefit of people here. A more diverse energy mix, including offshore wind, bioenergy storage and new technologies, would make the system more resilient and less exposed to global price shocks. The DUP amendment suggests that renewable targets are being pursued in isolation and calls for continued reliance on fossil fuels alongside renewables. That gets the problem the wrong way round. Households are exposed to price shocks because we have stayed dependent on fossil fuels for too long, not because we have moved too quickly towards renewables.

I thank the Member for his intervention. I am not naive to the reality that he outlined, but that reality should not temper our ambition to pursue the delivery of more renewable energy. I have outlined well, as have other Members, why we need to get there. I recognise that the DUP amendment does not dismiss that.

I will not have time, I am afraid, but thanks for your previous intervention. Every time that there is a crisis somewhere in the world, bills rise, because our system is still tied to global fuel markets. On the Sinn Féin amendment, we absolutely understand the urgency with which we need to get support out to people who desperately need it, but that underlines the need for us to move away from fossil fuels. I am no defender of Minister Lyons, but it is unedifying to hear Executive parties and Ministers arguing about who should get the help out. People do not care; they just need the help. Stop passing the buck, and start passing the bucks. Of course, any transition must be managed carefully, and security of supply matters, but slowing the move away from fossil fuels will not protect consumers; it will keep them exposed. The Audit Office has highlighted serious flaws in the delivery of the energy strategy, as Members have said. What is needed now is a clear plan from the Minister for the Economy to reduce dependency on fossil fuels, increase renewable generation, upgrade infrastructure and make sure that the benefits of the transition are felt by the people who are struggling to pay their bills. If we continue to delay, households across the North will keep paying the price.

Go raibh maith agat.

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

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:16 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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