Debate contribution: Energy Security: Renewables

Debate contribution by Dr Caoimhe Archibald on 24 March 2026.

MLA

Dr Caoimhe Archibald

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

24 March 2026

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Energy Security: Renewables

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5463831

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the discussion on ensuring the security, affordability and long-term sustainability of our future energy system. It is a timely opportunity for me to do so. As with the Russian attack on Ukraine, the Israeli-Trump attack on Iran has triggered a global energy crisis, increasing the prices of the fossil fuels that we import and over which we have no control. Those rising costs are compounded by the fact that over 60% of our homes — around 500,000 households — rely on home heating oil. That means that global price shocks hit our homes and businesses faster. All of that shines a spotlight on the cost of our reliance on fossil fuels, where we remain a price-taker. I acknowledge the £17 million of support that has been allocated to the Executive for people who depend on oil, but that is far from enough. To be clear, Mr Durkan, there has been no passing of the buck. The Department for Communities operates the equivalent scheme to that which is used to target that funding in Britain. DFC officials are exploring how best to do that here, and I assure you, and everyone else, that I will work with my Executive colleagues to support the Minister for Communities to deliver that support here. Members are aware that, in last November's autumn Budget, the removal of certain renewable policy costs from bills in Britain was announced. That support did not originally apply here, but my officials successfully made the case for the North to benefit from it. As a result, the Treasury has confirmed that domestic electricity consumers here will have 75% of their NIRO-related costs removed for three years. That intervention is worth approximately £81 million over three years, or approximately £30 a household each year. The enabling statutory instrument was laid in Westminster last week and is expected to become law by the end of June. Homes will have £30 credited to their electricity bill or pay-as-you-go meter from 1 July 2026, and again on 1 April 2027 and 1 April 2028. We continue to make the case for more funding, however. While we work daily to mitigate impacts, the Executive-approved energy strategy is the strategic blueprint for breaking the link to global commodity prices and our becoming self-sufficient in renewable energy. Increasing consumption of locally generated renewable energy is the single most effective way in which to reduce and stabilise household energy bills and strengthen security of supply. In December 2025, I published the midterm review of the energy strategy, which provided a comprehensive and transparent assessment of our progress to date. I recognise both as being significant achievements and structural constraints that need to be addressed urgently. Since 2021, over £72 million has been invested in decarbonising the government estate. That investment already delivers more than £12 million in annual energy savings, easing pressures on public budgets in areas such as health and education, as well as reducing emissions and demonstrating the public sector's leadership in energy transition. The review reaffirmed the continuing importance of the three 2030 targets, the need for accelerated progress on renewables deployment and on delivering energy savings and the essential role of strengthened governance and delivery structures. Renewable electricity already supplies almost half the electricity that we consume. The latest official figures for the year up to December 2025 show that 47% of overall electricity consumption comes from renewables. That represents an increase of three percentage points over the year. We are also delivering growth in the green economy. The latest official figures from the NISRA show that, as of 2024, the green economy was worth more than £1·5 billion annually, up 40% from £1 billion in 2020. I remain firmly committed to our statutory target, under the Climate Change Act, of at least 80% renewable electricity consumption by 2030. To deliver that, several strategic interventions are being progressed.

I thank the Member for his intervention. I acknowledge, as I have done many times, that it will be challenging for us to achieve our target. I think that the industry experts indicated that it will be difficult to achieve that target; I do not think that any of us is under any allusions in that regard. However, we also recognise that there are a number of strands that will collectively and cumulatively contribute to our meeting that target, whether it is the different types of technologies; the renewable electricity price guarantee scheme; or the work on interconnection, storage and market structure. All of those things will help us to reach our target. I remain committed to doing as much as I possibly can to get us to that point. As I mentioned, we are progressing several strategic interventions to help us to achieve that target, one being the renewable electricity price guarantee scheme. Over the next 25 years, that scheme will help us to become a price-maker rather than a price-taker. I hope that that paper will be on the Executive's agenda and approved by them this week. A key action is the major investment that is being made in the grid. Between April 2025 and 2032, NIE Networks will invest £2·23 billion. That will increase the capacity of the network, producing a resilient supply for our homes and businesses, while enabling them to save money through accessing more renewable electricity. Another important workstream is the operational improvements that SONI and NIE are making to bring more affordable renewable electricity on to the system. Two synchronous compensators have been procured and are due to be commissioned early next year. Those will be followed by two more, which will reduce the amount of fossil fuel generation needed to keep the lights on. Other operational improvements, such as dynamic line rating, smart meters and increased grid-scale battery storage, will deliver more savings for consumers. Like others, I remain deeply concerned about dispatch down, which arises from system-stability requirements and long-standing network constraints that prevent the full use of our available renewable energy generation. My officials are working closely with SONI, NIE Networks and the Utility Regulator to ensure that renewable electricity can be used more effectively as we move towards meeting our energy targets. In practical terms, that means a very focused programme of action. SONI is delivering its dispatch down action plan, supported by my Department, NIE Networks and the Utility Regulator, to reduce the amount of fossil fuel generation required to keep the system stable. That includes, as I mentioned, the commissioning of new synchronous compensators from next year, which will be followed by further units, alongside operational changes such as dynamic line rating, increased grid-scale battery storage and smart-system operation. At the same time, we are progressing major grid investment and essential North/South and east-west interconnection, which, together, will ease network constraints and allow more renewable electricity to be used, rather than curtailing its use. Those are practical, system-wide measures that directly address dispatch down while maintaining security of supply.

I think that the Member, and everybody in the House, has heard me speak about that issue on many occasions. I recognise the importance of the North/South interconnector to our security of supply. The Member is well aware of my party's position on the issue, but we have planning approval, which we, as Ministers and Departments here, are obligated to implement. Of course, the delays are being experienced not in the North but in the South. The Member has taken us on nicely to something else that the motion references: North/South energy cooperation. That is essential. Ireland is a small island, and we have a fully integrated all-island single electricity market. Energy security also depends on strong east-west connectivity. I welcome the interest from Transmission Investment in a potential new interconnector from Scotland. Officials continue to work closely with the Utility Regulator as it considers the next stage of the licensing process. To conclude, renewable energy is the most effective lever to enhance energy security, deliver stable consumer costs and build long-term economic resilience. There are challenges to overcome, including grid constraints, planning bottlenecks and the need to ensure that we have a workforce with the necessary skills, but overcoming those challenges and delivering self-sufficiency in affordable renewable energy, ending the import of fossil fuels, breaking the link with global commodity prices and paying a fair price for the energy that we produce locally are the prize that we are trying to achieve. That will deliver more good jobs and a more productive and regionally balanced economy. Thank you very much.

1,431 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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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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