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Equitably mitigating energy market volatility...
In 2021/2022, global energy prices spiked amid pent up postpandemic demand and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, heralding a European energy crisis.
Following the cessation of British Government support for consumers in summer 2023 – and increased wholesale gas prices amid ongoing geopolitical strife in the Middle East – energy prices in the North have remained stubbornly above pre-Covid figures.
During H1 2024, the domestic electricity and gas prices for the medium user were 32 p/kWh and 11 p/kWh, representing a 15 per cent increase from 27.8 p/kWh in 2023 (and a 93 per cent increase from 2015) and a 12 per cent increase from 9.8 p/kWh in 2023 (and a 130 per cent increase from 2015) respectively.
Even before now, factors informing traditionally higher energy prices include our location at the end of the supply chain, small market size, and, most significantly, a relative absence of indigenous generation sources.
As emphasised in the Department for the Economy’s Energy Strategy Action Plan for 2025, market volatility must be seen as a catalyst for the transition to indigenous and affordable renewable energy, simultaneously ending dependence on expensive fossil fuel imports. This language is mirrored in the Executive’s Programme for Government which vows to “break the link with global energy prices” thereby reducing electricity prices.
This, as Utility Regulator Chief Executive John French writes, could be achieved by generating low-carbon baseload electricity with a cheaper alternative not linked to price fluctuations of the international gas prices.
Simultaneously, as featured in our cover story interview, Consumer Council CEO Noyona Chundur warns: “We cannot ignore the fact that the most significant proportion of net zero transition costs will be recouped in one of three ways: energy bills, taxes, or payment for products and services.” In other words, the cost of the energy transition and associated investments in infrastructure will inevitably be carried by consumers.
Given that one-quarter of households in the North already experience fuel poverty, and the bottom quartile of households have an average weekly disposable income of £53, there is limited capacity for many to absorb the cost of this transition.
In this context, an equitable mitigation of market volatility demands a self-sufficient energy system that is reliable, flexible, and secures security of supply at the lowest cost to consumers.
Ciarán Galway, Editor
agendaNi Issue 124
Editorial
Ciarán Galway ciaran.galway@agendani.com
Joshua Murray joshua.murray@agendani.com
Ciaran Brennan ciaran.brennan@agendani.com
Circulation and marketing
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Design
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70 Minister Paul Givan MLA discusses his strategic vision for education in Northern Ireland
74 Analysis: TransformED strategy
78 University of Manchester professor Mairéad Pratschke discusses the potential of AI in educational settings 82 The challenges facing Irish medium education
Trade union desk: ICTU’s John O’Farrell analyses the Executive’s new employment legislation 96 Back page: Economist Paul Gosling reflects on the ‘failure’ of Stormont
Brenda King reappointed Attorney General until 2030
Brenda King, Attorney General for Northern Ireland, has been re-appointed to the role until 30 June 2030.
In late-April 2025, First Minister Michelle O’Neill MLA and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly MLA made the decision to reappoint King who first assumed the role in 2020.
King has over 25 years’ experience in drafting primary legislation and providing legal advice to ministers on legal and constitutional matters. She was President of the Commonwealth Association of Legislative Counsel (CALC) from 2017 to 2019.
King was educated at the Queen’s University of Belfast, the University of South Carolina, and the University of Cambridge, and began her career as a solicitor in a legal aid practice in Belfast.
In 1991, she joined the Office of the Legislative Counsel after a period in private practice, and as a legal adviser with the Northern Ireland Office. After holding numerous roles in the Legislative Counsel – responsible for drafting bills of the Northern Ireland Assembly – King was appointed First Legislative Counsel in 2012.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS
£3 billion overspend on capital projects
A report by the Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in early April 2025 states that delays causing a £3 billion overspend on major capital projects is “unacceptable”.
The PAC also queried why recommendations it made in a report from five years ago have not yet been fully implemented. Chair of the Committee, SDLP’s Daniel McCrossan MLA, said: “In 2020, our initial Report on Major Capital Projects made 15 recommendations for improvement, relating to accountability mechanisms as well as time and cost overruns. A number of those recommendations have not progressed as the Committee intended, and not all recommendations were accepted.
“We have heard a lot in evidence sessions about ongoing, planned actions and future aspirations – but little in the way of real progress and how these projects could be delivered more efficiently and effectively. The Committee is extremely frustrated by the lack of action taken to address delays and overspends.
Deputy chair of the PAC, the DUP’s Cheryl Brownlee MLA, said the Committee recommends the establishment of an independent oversight body, for leadership and governance to be reviewed, and an annual progress report be published on major capital projects.
Grandparents or relatives are the most common source of childcare according to the Northern Ireland Childcare Survey 2024 published in May 2025.
It found that 62 per cent of parents of children aged four and under used some form of childcare with 43 per cent using paid childcare. The most common source of childcare was grandparents or relatives at 32 per cent. Of parents of children using paid childcare, the median monthly payment
Health Minister welcomes crossborder collaboration on healthcare
A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed between the Medicines Optimisation Innovation Centre (MOIC) and the Republic of Ireland-based Health Innovation Hub Ireland (HIHI) in mid-May 2025.
It aims to benefit the health of the population across the island of Ireland and was signed when Health Minister Mike Nesbitt MLA met with Irish Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment Alan Dillon TD at the MOIC.
Minister Nesbitt said: “I welcome the formal signing of the MOU between MOIC and HIHI, strengthening the relationship between both organisations. Collaboration is the foundation upon which a resilient, patient-centred healthcare system is built.
EDUCATION
Relatives most common form of childcare
was £225, increasing to £630 for those using more intensive provision. The survey found that 86 per cent of households said the quality of their childcare was good.
Minister Paul Givan MLA says: “The survey findings provide a valuable picture of childcare usage across the whole population which has not previously been available. I plan to engage directly with stakeholders on the findings, later in the month.”
“By working together, across sectors and borders, we can tackle shared challenges, engage in knowledge transfer, share best practice, and ultimately improve outcomes for patients across the island of Ireland.”
Minister of State Dillon said: “This partnership not only enhances our healthcare systems but also strengthens our economies by fostering job creation and supporting indigenous enterprises on this island. Together, we are paving the way for a healthier future and demonstrating that innovation knows no borders.”
UK resets relationship with EU
The UK Government has reset relations with the European Union in mid-May 2025 after confirming a deal with the bloc, five years after Brexit came into effect.
Both entities are set to link their Emissions Trading Systems, which “will improve the UK’s energy security and avoid businesses being hit by the EU’s carbon tax due to come in next year”, says the Prime Minister’s Office. The Office claims that the SPS and the linking of the Emissions Trading Systems are set to add nearly £9 billion to the UK economy by 2040.
Starmer says the new deal will be “good for jobs, good for bills, and good for our borders”. As part of the deal, a sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement will enable more fluid imports and exports of food and drink, while some routine checks on
animal and plant products will be removed.
In response, TUV leader and North Antrim MP Jim Allister tabled an Early Day Motion in the Commons within which he requests: “That this House notes with regret that the UK-EU summit did not reset relations on the basis that the UK reasserts full sovereignty over Northern Ireland and relieves it of colonial rule by the EU.”
First Minister Michelle O’Neill MLA says: “Anything that protects the all-island economy, anything that maximises our access to both markets in terms of trade, anything that removes barriers for trade, then that is something that we would obviously very much welcome.”
New interim Secretary appointed at Department of Education
Former Head of the Northern Ireland Prison Service, Ronnie Armour, has been appointed as interim Permanent Secretary of the Department of Education.
In December 2024, then-Permanent Secretary of the Department of Education, Mark Browne, quietly departed from the role he had been in for almost four years, with no official statement issued by the Department or anyone on its behalf.
Browne had first been appointed to the role in February 2021, after previously serving in the Civil Service for 36 years. One source told agendaNi that the departure was due to a dispute between Minister Paul Givan MLA and Browne and other senior civil servants.
In March 2025, the Belfast Telegraph reported that Givan became frustrated by what he saw as a “lethargy in how the department was run”. “Instructions he issued weren’t, according to a source, being rejected, but Givan did not think they were being implemented sufficiently”, the paper reported.
No indication has been given by the Department as to why Browne departed his role, or when a new Permanent Secretary will be appointment on a permanent basis.
The Department of Education has been approached for comment.
Executive launches employment rights overhaul
On 28 April 2025, Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald MLA announced what has been described as the “most substantial overhaul of Northern Ireland’s employment legislation in over two decades”.
The Good Jobs Employment Rights Bill, a centrepiece of the Department for the Economy’s wider Good Jobs agenda, is designed to modernise the employment law framework with a focus on enhancing job quality and ensuring fairness across the labour market.
The proposed legislation is structured around four thematic pillars: terms of employment; pay and benefits; voice and representation; and work-life balance. It reflects the conclusions of a public consultation conducted in 2024, which received 192 responses from individuals and stakeholder organisations, including employer bodies, trade unions, and civil society groups.
The Bill’s principal proposals reflect the Department’s aim to strike a balance between enhancing protections for
workers and supporting business productivity and flexibility.
Policy context
The Employment Rights Bill aligns with the Executive’s Programme for Government objective to increase the number of ‘Good Jobs’ – defined by the Department as secure, adequately remunerated roles which support health, wellbeing, and economic participation. The initiative sits within the Department’s broader ‘economic vision’, based on four objectives: increasing Good Jobs, raising productivity, decarbonising the economy, and driving regional balance.
The legislative proposals are designed to complement efforts to promote labour market participation and reduce in-work poverty. They also aim to create a more level playing field for employers by
setting minimum standards and reducing incentives for exploitative employment practices.
Theme A: Terms of employment
This theme targets employment stability and clarity, particularly for workers in atypical arrangements.
The Department intends to curtail the use of exploitative zero-hours and lowhours contracts. Workers on such contracts who consistently work more hours than stipulated will be entitled to request a ‘banded hours’ contract, reflecting their actual working pattern. This right will be subject to a qualifying period, expected to be 26 weeks, with limited grounds for employer refusal.
Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald MLA is pictured at Parliament Buildings with the Department's independent expert on Good Jobs, Lisa Wilson from the Nevin Economic Research Institute.
Additional measures include a right to reasonable notice of shifts and compensation for cancelled shifts. Employers will also be prohibited from including exclusivity clauses in zero or low-hours contracts unless the worker earns above the lower earnings limit.
The Department seeks to address the practice of ‘fire and rehire’, where an employee is dismissed and rehired on inferior terms. Legislation will make it automatically unfair to dismiss an employee for refusing such changes, except where the employer is in immediate financial distress.
The right to a written statement of employment particulars will be extended to all workers, not just employees, from day one. These statements must also include expanded information, such as trade union rights.
The Department plans to abolish ‘pay between assignment’ contracts for agency workers, closing a loophole allowing pay disparities with permanent staff. Recruitment agencies will be required to provide Key Information Documents outlining terms in a standardised format.
The Employment Agency Inspectorate (EAI) will receive enhanced enforcement powers, including Labour Market Enforcement Undertakings and Orders, and greater information-sharing with regulators.
Theme B: Pay and benefits
The second theme focuses on decent earnings and pay transparency.
The Department will legislate to ensure that tips, gratuities, and service charges are passed on to workers in full, excluding lawful deductions. Employers must maintain records of distribution and provide access upon request. A statutory code of practice will support this.
Payslip regulations will be reformed to give all workers the right to an itemised pay statement. Where pay varies, hours worked must be included.
Holiday pay for irregular-hours workers will be calculated over a 52-week reference period, replacing the current 12-week system. This change mirrors reforms introduced in Britain in 2020 and aims to ensure fairer averages for seasonal and casual workers.
A statutory code of practice will be developed to support the ‘right to disconnect’, addressing the pressures of digital availability.
Theme C: Voice and representation
This theme introduces measures to strengthen workplace democracy and trade union engagement.
Trade unions will gain a statutory right to access workplaces, including digital access, under reasonable conditions. This supports recruitment and engagement.
To enable broader union recognition, the employee threshold for formal recognition requests will be lowered from 21 to 10. The Department will also explore extending collective sectoral bargaining beyond the public and agricultural sectors.
E-balloting will be permitted for industrial action ballots, reducing reliance on postal voting.
The 12-week limit on unfair dismissal protection during official industrial action will be removed. Existing limitations for unofficial action will remain.
To support constructive industrial relations, a code of practice will outline expected behaviours in workplace negotiations. Information and Consultation of Employers (ICE) Regulations will be amended to cover smaller workplaces. The threshold for ICE agreement requests will fall from 10 per cent to 2 per cent of employees, with the minimum number lowered from 15 to 10.
Theme D: Work-life balance
Several enhancements to family-friendly employment rights are proposed.
The right to request flexible working will become a dayone entitlement. Employees may make two requests per year and will not need to explain the impact on their employer. Employers must show they acted reasonably in handling requests.
Unpaid carer’s leave will be introduced, entitling eligible employees to one week per year. Powers will also be taken to legislate for paid leave, subject to future analysis.
Parents of babies admitted to neonatal care within 28 days of birth will be entitled to one week of leave for each week of hospitalisation, up to 12 weeks. This leave will be available from day one, though pay eligibility will depend on service and earnings.
Redundancy protections will be extended to 18 months from birth or adoption for those on maternity, adoption, or shared parental leave. Pregnancy notification will trigger immediate protection.
Paternity leave will be enhanced. It may be taken as two one-week blocks or a single two-week block, anytime in the 52 weeks following birth or adoption. The notice period will be reduced to 28 days, and paternity leave will become a day-one right.
Implementation
The Department aims to introduce the Good Jobs Employment Rights Bill to the Assembly in 2026 and secure passage before the current mandate ends in early 2027. Measures will be phased in, with consultations on secondary legislation and time for employer and worker adjustment.
The Department will work with the Labour Relations Agency and stakeholders to produce supporting guidance and non-statutory codes of practice.
Emerging gaps between the two economies in Ireland
A study undertaken by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) into the economic performance of the economies on the island of Ireland reveals systematic performance gaps favouring the Republic, write Séamus McGuinness, Research Professor, and Adele Bergin, Associate Research Professor.
A recent study, part of a joint research programme between the Shared Island Unit and the ESRI, compares the economic performance of Ireland (the Republic) and the North. The research uses the latest data to examine a wide range of dimensions including demographics and labour market trends, living standards, economic structures, aspects of the education and health systems, and overall wellbeing.
It is important to note this is not a like-for-like comparison given that the Republic is a national level economy and an EU member state, while the North is a UK regional economy that has much more limited fiscal and policy independence. Nevertheless, the research reveals systematic performance gaps favouring the Republic, many of which have widened in recent years.
Demographics and the labour market
The Republic’s population (5.1 million in Census 2022) is growing faster than the North’s (1.9 million in Census 2021), with higher growth in recent years largely due to strong net migration. The Republic also has a younger age structure, with a lower oldage dependency ratio (population aged 65 and over relative to the population aged 15-64) of 23.1 in 2022, compared to 27.7 in the North.
Labour market participation rates for those aged 1664 are higher in the Republic than in the North, with the gap widening in recent years. In 2022, the participation rate in the Republic was 76.8 per cent, some 4.4 percentage points higher than the rate in the North. Furthermore, in 2022 the employment rate for those aged 16-64 was 73.3 per cent in the Republic, 3 percentage points above that in the North.
“The research reveals systematic performance gaps favouring the Republic, many of which have widened in recent years.”
Living standards
Household disposable income (per equivalised household), a reliable measure of living standards that is not distorted by globalisation effects most relevant to the Republic’s economy, was 18.3 per cent higher than in the North in 2018. This data was adjusted for price differences in both jurisdictions and the analysis showed that the gap in income has widened over time. In terms of wages, the data show a positive gap favouring the Republic, with hourly earnings 36 per cent higher than in the North in 2022, after adjusting for price differences.
Trade flows
While Great Britain remains the North’s largest trading partner, there was a decline in trade between the two over the period from 2015 to 2022, particularly marked in the share of services imports. Conversely, recent years have seen an increase in trade activity between the North and the Republic, with the rise in trade flows between the two being particularly pronounced in the North’s goods exports and services imports. It is likely that Brexit has played an important role in determining the changing patterns of trade.
Economic structure and taxation
Public sector employment remains higher in the North, accounting for 29.2 per cent of total employment compared to 25.3 per cent in the Republic. Employment in the Republic is more heavily concentrated in the ‘information and communication’ and ‘financial insurance’ sectors, which jointly account for 9.8 per cent of jobs relative to 5.4 per cent in the North.
The Republic’s GNI* per capita is 57 per cent higher than the North’s GDP per capita, reflecting stronger economic growth in the Republic and an indicator of aggregate productivity differences north and south. Labour productivity in the North lagged that of the Republic in eight of 10 sectors in 2021 and across all sectors, average labour productivity in the Republic was over 2.5 times that of the North in both 2015 and 2021, in part reflecting the strong prominence of the multinational sector in the former.
With respect to taxation, residents in the North pay significantly lower personal income tax than those in the Republic (€2,980 versus €6,725 per capita). However, corporate tax receipts per capita in the Republic (€5,760)
are over five times those in the North (€1,018), reflecting the dominance of multinationals in the former.
On the spending side, we find that the Republic allocates a higher share of expenditures to health (26.3 per cent versus 17.3 per cent in the North) and education (10.7 per cent versus 9.5 per cent).
Educational attainment
Education enrolment rates are higher in the Republic than the North across all age groups, with large gaps between young people. For instance, enrolment rates among 15–19-year-olds were at 71 per cent in 2022 in the North, some 10 percentage points behind the UK average and 21 percentage points behind the figure for the Republic. The percentage of 15–19-year-olds enrolled in education in the North fell by three percentage points between 2018 and 2022. These figures point to serious barriers to further education access in the North. In 2022, early school leaving in the Republic was 2.7 per cent compared to 10 per cent in the North, with the gap having widened in recent years.
Health
With regards to health, while inpatient and outpatient waiting lists were similar for those waiting between zero and six months for treatment, the rates for longer durations are much higher in the North. In 2024, for instance, there were 86 persons per 1,000 population on waiting lists (inpatient plus outpatient) for more than 18 months in the North compared to an equivalent figure of 12 persons per 1,0000 in the Republic. Furthermore, in 2021, infant mortality rates per 1,000 live births were 2.8 in the Republic, 3.6 for the UK average, and 4.8 in the North.
Life expectancy
Differences in life expectancy tend to reflect cumulative differences in welfare arising from differences in income, education, access to healthcare etcetera. In 2021, life expectancy for children aged below one in the Republic was 82.4 years compared to 80.4 years in the North, and a UK average of 80.7 years. As was the case with many other indicators in our study, the gap in life expectancy has grown over recent years in favour of the Republic.
The trusted voice
meets with agendaNi to discuss consumer protection during the transition to net zero GHG emissions by 2050, the role of behavioural change in this transition, the characteristics of the contemporary consumer, and her organisation’s vision for the future.
Leading the Consumer Council into its 40th year, Noyona Chundur identifies the anniversary as an inflection point.
Following her appointment as CEO at the height of the Covid pandemic in January 2021, her organisation has relentlessly worked to protect the rights of consumers, champion their interests, influence policy and regulation to meet their needs, and empowered them to make informed choices.
“The Consumer Council has been on a transformative journey, and we have an incredible team. Our foundational statute anchored our purpose through the Covid pandemic, a cost-of-living crisis, and an energy crisis,” she reflects.
A nimble organisation, the Consumer Council supported over 100,000 citizens through its consumer helpline and outreach programmes in the last five years, returning over £2.3 million to consumers from independent complaint investigations.
“Our insights inform cross-cutting strategies and partnership working with government, civil society, academia, and industry, including supporting Northern Ireland’s Economic Vision and Energy Strategy led by the Department for the Economy, and have advanced consumer protection, affordability, and broader consumer interests,” Chundur says, adding: “While we are a small organisation, the Consumer Council is the independent, trusted voice for consumers.
“We empower consumers, giving them support, advice and tools to make informed decisions, as illustrated by the fact that our online resources have been accessed over three million times.”
Consumer protection
However, even amid reducing inflationary pressures following the peak of the energy crisis, consumer price inflation is still significantly above pre-pandemic levels. Given that a quarter of Northern Ireland households have an average disposable income of £53 per week, there is not much capacity among some to absorb, for example, the cost of the net zero transition.
“A sustainable energy future hinges on affordability and security of supply,
equally, robust consumer protection is a fundamental building block of the transition and a non-negotiable if consumers are expected to embrace change,” the Consumer Council CEO begins.
“Without this protection, we risk creating a two-tier system where more affluent and digitally literate cohorts will confidently engage in the transition, while others are left behind.”
In its latest quarterly Pulse Survey – a snapshot of consumer sentiment – the Consumer Council finds that 82 per cent of consumers are concerned about fuel prices, 40 per cent of consumers felt that their household was worse off compared to 12 months ago, and 46 per cent find dealing with their finances a burden.
“Consumers need guarantees. Consumer protection is critical to fostering trust, confidence, participation and driving behavioural change, but it must also safeguard a consumer’s right to access, choice, safety, fairness, information, representation, redress, and education.
“These are the core principles used by the Consumer Council to assess where consumer interest lies, the minimum standards expected from any market, and to validate and develop consumerorientated outcomes for policymaking and regulation.
“Ultimately, everything we do aims to provide a holistic view of the choices facing consumers, given the multifaceted circumstances they experience,” Chundur explains.
Fair and just net zero transition
Describing the transition to net zero as “the most significant multi-generational change of our time”, Chundur insists decarbonising the energy system must be pursued in an equitable and socially inclusive manner, with “consumers’ interests underpinning the design of public policy, legislation, regulation, and other interventions”.
Within a small economy with a high prevalence of rurality and limited resources, the challenges associated with delivering a fair and just transition are considerable.
The Consumer Council for Northern Ireland, sponsored by the Department for the Economy, has responsibilities in consumer affairs, energy, transport, water, post and food accessibility, financial inclusion, and EU Exit, with super-complaints designation.
Recent successes include:
• reducing Royal Mail’s business redirection service costs for multioccupancy buildings;
• using bespoke analysis to shape the UK Government’s Alternative Fuel Payment and Department for Communities Emergency Fuel Payment Schemes;
• introducing Family Saver Loans to Northern Ireland with credit unions and partners, and using community requests to recommend banking hubs for Comber, Newcastle, Portrush, and Warrenpoint;
• improving financial and energy literacy with the True Cost and Save Money, Save Energy campaigns, and leading research on consumer experiences, attitudes, affordability and adoption;
• securing a regional consumer price index with the Office for National Statistics, Department for the Economy and NISRA;
• representing consumer experiences to government and parliamentarians in the UK and Europe, following the EU Referendum;
• raising awareness of food insecurity and affordability, and delivering outreach to emergency food providers and third sector partners; and
• conducting research to inform Ofcom’s ban on mid-contract price rises linked to inflation.
“While we are a small organisation, the Consumer Council is the independent, trusted voice for consumers.”
Noyona Chundur, CEO, Consumer Council
“We cannot ignore the fact that the most significant proportion of net zero transition costs will be recouped in one of three ways: energy bills, taxes, or payment for products and services,” she outlines.
The Consumer Council’s research indicates inequalities in income, energy costs, and energy efficiency disproportionately impact vulnerable consumer groups, including those on low incomes, living with disabilities or
long-term health conditions and in rural areas, and older consumers.
In this context, an integrated energy system that is reliable, flexible, and maintains security of supply at the lowest cost to consumers is essential, Chundur outlines.
“The Consumer Council supports Northern Ireland’s climate ambitions, and we protect consumer interests by advocating for a fair and just transition where consumer journeys are central to thinking, debate, and action,” she says. 4
Discussing the specifics of this transition, Chundur emphasises that attempts to scale the energy system are inevitably expensive because net zero cannot be delivered without investing in infrastructure. Therefore, costs must be fairly distributed and balanced with affordable access, choice, and convenience.
“We need equitable cost sharing models that are progressive and protective. Examples include grants and affordable finance for households to make the switch to low carbon heating, upgrade insulation, and adopt electric vehicles.”
Acknowledging the potential for flat rate charges to be regressive, she advocates for “targeted social tariffs across energy, water, and transport, specifically designed to support people most exposed to affordability pressures”.
“While levies are a policy instrument which might be considered, they must be transparent and tested, incorporating affordability assessments before they are implemented.
“We do not want to sleepwalk into a scenario in which hidden or regressive charges disproportionately impact vulnerable households.”
Amplifying consumers’ voices
Amplifying consumer voices, the Consumer Council asserts, means moving towards tangible participation in the design and delivery of solutions on the net zero journey. Consumers, especially those who are in vulnerable circumstances, must be actively involved so they can shape the policies, products, and services from the outset.
“We must recognise consumers do not live their lives in silos. They understand the transition to net zero through a connected prism encapsulating energy, water, and transport.
“Success, in terms of the net zero transition, will depend equally on delivering the infrastructure and the associated public acceptance and consent to do so. Public acceptance hinges on engagement, consultation, and co-design with communities.
The Consumer Council responds to this challenge by capturing consumer voices via its advocacy, outreach, and research. For instance, its Household Expenditure Tracker divides the household population of Northern Ireland into four income quartiles and has recorded household income and essential spending since 2021.
Today, the highest earning households have over 13 times more discretionary income each week compared to the lowest earning households. “This is in contradiction of an equitable and just transition, so we must do better,” Chundur observes.
Consumer behaviour
Having referenced the role of consumer behaviour, Chundur emphasises that behavioural change is fundamental for a climate neutral economy. Consumers need to understand what to expect, which requires energy and climate literacy as part of a connected conversation.
“Most consumers are not ready to engage on the journey ahead of them. To deliver the net zero transition, we need behavioural and societal change at scale.
“While infrastructure, finance, and regulation are all recognised as fundamental components of the transition, success ultimately hinges on behaviours; how people heat homes, how they travel, how they consume, and how they manage resources.”
Drivers of behavioural change
Consumer Council research shows that consumer willingness to engage is not the most significant barrier to the transition. In fact, most consumers believe it is important to make sustainable choices and want to do so.
Rather, as Chundur highlights, feasibility is the predominant barrier, which has three main drivers.
1. Affordability: Consumers must be able to afford low carbon alternatives.
2. Accessibility: Products and services must be available, reliable, and easy to use.
3. Trust: People must have confidence in new technologies and suppliers.
“We must acknowledge that, currently, these conditions are not being met for many households in Northern Ireland,” the Consumer Council CEO comments.
“On affordability, for example, the cost of retrofitting a home or switching to a heat pump, can total thousands of pounds. This is in the context of one-quarter of the households having an average disposable income of £53 per week, and half left with £110 or less per week. Furthermore, 94 per cent of consumers are worried about rising energy prices, limiting their willingness to invest in new technologies.”
Consumer Council research also indicates that most want to trust the energy system and its suppliers. To do so, consumers must understand the rationale informing the need for behavioural change, feel empowered to embrace this change, and to be offered appropriate support, encouragement, and recourse.
In short, consumers want to be incentivised rather than mandated to change their behaviour.
Collaboration
Discussing the collaboration between government, industry, and civil society to help consumers change behaviours and embrace the net zero transition, Chundur suggests it is fundamental to coalesce around shared principles.
“If we want consumers to change, we must make change easy, fair, and worthwhile. Rather than penalising consumers’ choices, we must empower them to take practical actions that align with their values and socioeconomic contexts,” she says.
The Consumer Council CEO identifies five spheres across which this collaboration must occur. The first is to ensure affordability through targeted grants, subsidies, and low interest loans, “to help households reduce energy consumption, invest in low carbon technologies, and increase energy efficiency”.
Secondly, an ambitious net zero transition cannot be delivered until basic infrastructure needs are met. This includes access to public transport and broadband, particularly for rural communities, EV charging infrastructure in underserved areas, and climate resilience.
Thirdly, consumers require a trusted space whereby they can access simple advice, grants, and accredited providers. “Most people lack time and confidence to navigate the information, solutions, and suppliers to successfully participate in the transition to net zero,” Chundur remarks.
Fourthly, cross-sectoral market regulation for a fair and just transition “must deliver strong standards, redress systems, and consumer protection in emerging markets”, including with regard to retrofitting, smart home devices, and battery energy storage systems.
Fifthly, the Consumer Council CEO believes “government and industry should collaborate closely with consumer bodies and civil society” on co-design and communication. “We are all working towards a common purpose for the greater good,” she says, adding: “We must therefore engage consumers together, in a timely manner, to co-design schemes and services and deploy tailored messaging to help remove barriers for inaction, while considering lived experiences and the digitally excluded.”
The modern consumer
Describing the modern consumer as “complex, adaptable, and increasingly values-driven” across the population spectrum, Chundur outlines that while the Covid pandemic heralded much greater awareness of consumer rights, awareness of and access to the tools to exercise these rights is less prevalent.
“Many consumers still struggle to access redress, confidently switch services, or engage with digital tools,” she says. “Navigating multiple systems and markets can feel overwhelming and at times quite exclusionary. While many of us are more informed because equipped with digital tools, we are also managing heightened cross-pressures.”
These include income disparity, contrasting expectations about digital engagement, and competing concepts of environmental responsibility, meaning that many can slip into inertia when faced with market complexity.
Simultaneously, the Consumer Council CEO believes the role of the consumer is also evolving. “Consumers are not simply purchasing goods or services. It is no longer transactional, rather it is relational. Consumers are being asked to take on more responsibility for the decisions that were once centrally managed, whether that is in renewable energy generation, transport choices, home energy efficiency, or even waste management. For most of us, that is okay, but for others the shift is daunting.”
Contemporary consumers, Chundur outlines, expect transparency, fairness, ease of use, and the ability to make informed choices. Above all, they want to feel protected, supported, and heard, especially in a rapidly changing environment catalysed by the transition to net zero.
Vision
Meanwhile, economic uncertainty and associated social challenges prevail. However, Chundur believes this context presents an opportunity for Northern Ireland to “exhibit leadership on the global stage as we build a sustainable, climate neutral economy, bringing citizens on the journey with us so they see the value of actively participating in our collective energy future”.
Acknowledging that the opportunity of enhanced consumer participation and empowerment hinges on political will, connected policymaking, and agile regulation, the Consumer Council CEO is assured that her organisation is “perfectly placed” to support the delivery of the Executive’s Programme for Government and strategies implementing this ambition.
“What consumers face today is very different from five years ago, and whilst we might not be experiencing the same degree of economic volatility, the lived reality for many remains uncertain.
“My priority, and the Consumer Council’s priority, is to consolidate the power of the consumer and position them at the heart of policymaking and regulatory reform,” she asserts.
Message for policymakers
Advocating for the voice of consumers to be heard in the policymaking process – directly influencing the decisions that impact them – Chundur reiterates the need for “harmonised, cross-sectoral regulation” that protects consumers, prioritises their rights, and minimises the inequality of access and experience of vulnerable groups.
“The role of the Consumer Council is to improve people’s lives by protecting and empowering consumers to drive positive and lasting change. We can only do that by being the trusted voice for consumers, supporting them through the challenges that they face, and enabling them to fully grasp the opportunities that lie ahead in the net zero transition,” she concludes.
Profile: Noyona Chundur
Noyona Chundur is Chief Executive of the Consumer Council, Northern Ireland’s statutory consumer body, having previously served on the board. She is a board member of the Progressive Building Society and the Arts Council of Ireland, a former Chair of the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival, an IOD Chartered Director and the IOD 2023 Northern Ireland Public Sector Director of the Year. In her spare time, she enjoys books, gigs, and galleries.
issues agenda
Protecting Belfast from tidal flooding
Johnathan Carlisle, Department for Infrastructure (DfI) project sponsor for the Belfast Tidal Flood Alleviation Scheme (BTFAS) walks agendaNi’s
Ciaran Brennan through the scheme, explaining the consequences of a tidal flood event, and how BTFAS silently protects the people of Belfast.
Carlisle says that Belfast is at risk of flooding from multiple sources, but tidal is “of most concern”. He outlines the need for the scheme, with Belfast identified as the most at risk out of 20 significant flood risk areas in the 2011 Northern Ireland Flood Risk Assessment. A tidal event could result in 2km2 of flooding in Belfast city centre, according to Carlisle. The BTFAS project sponsor adds that there are currently over 1,500 properties at risk from tidal flooding.
“With the onset of climate change projected to cause sea level rise, this number is projected to increase,” he says. “If we need any further evidence of the change in climate, the five highest tidal surges in Belfast have been recorded in the past 30 years.
“Belfast, due to its topography, has a number of potential spill points along the quay walls and river banks. Parts of the city centre could be one to two metres below predicted significant tide levels. With potential tidal surges spilling over those quay walls and running into the city centre, it has the potential to cause significant economic damage and disruption to commerce, transport, and the social fabric of the city.”
In January 2014, Belfast experienced a significant tidal surge resulting in a major multi agency emergency response led by the PSNI which Carlisle pins as proof that there was “a real need for the scheme”. He traces how its benefits were already demonstrated in response to Storm Ashley during October 2024,
even when construction had not yet been completed. Demountable defences were deployed in the Lockview area in response on this occasion.
The Scheme, which was completed in December 2024 at a cost of £33 million ultimately offers enhanced protection to over 3,000 homes and businesses from tidal flooding. Construction commenced in July 2022 and it was initially expected to cost £17 million, but a combination of inflation, significant challenges and changes during design development, including opportunities to reduce the length of temporary defences resulted in an increase in cost and programme.
“Nevertheless the project retained a very healthy benefit cost ratio throughout.
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Over the 100-year lifespan of the scheme, the direct costs of tidal flood risk damages in Belfast are estimated at £168 million, with an additional £87 million arising from impacts to the local economy.
The scheme was designed to provide “a high level of protection” up to the mid-2080s, and future adaptations could extend this by an additional 40 years.
Spanning 8.5km between Stranmillis Weir and Belfast Harbour, it includes works at five areas including Lockview/Stranmillis, Ormeau, Ravenhill, Sydenham, and the harbour/city centre. The scheme comprises permanent defences such as reinforced concrete, an earthen embankment, and glass defences, and temporary defences like stop logs, post and plank barriers, K-frame defences, rigid temporary flood barriers, and flood gates.
Integration
During the design process, an emphasis was placed on integrating the defences with existing streetscapes. Carlisle outlines the emphasis that was placed on achieving this during the delivery of the scheme. “There have been massive efforts to rejuvenate the River Lagan, the use of the river, and investment around the area. Trying to integrate with existing streetscapes was massively important, and a challenge for the project.”
To achieve this, the majority of flood defences were installed at the back of the towpath to maintain the width of the walkway, and the open vista to the river. Those who walk along the path will observe that the finishes on the concrete defences differ between sections so they blend in with the streetscape.
“That was a key challenge and hopefully we have been able to achieve that. Some of the feedback we
have received is that people did not know that this was a flood defence which has been very pleasing,” he says. “We did not want to create dead spaces or sever that link of activity to the river. This is really well used and it is a great amenity.”
Railings along the quay wall have been replaced with glass defences, to maintain views to the river without compromising on functionality. Carlisle traces the challenges presented by integrating the defences with the existing structures and quay walls.
“Some of the more recent developments were built in accordance with current local planning regulations that they be elevated above the flood level which reduced the extent of defences that we needed to construct. One of the challenges was that some of the quay walls are decades old. Some may have been refurbished, some may have not. We were dealing with a multitude of different types of structure. Some may have needed additional works.”
The BTFAS project sponsor states that efforts were made to minimise the impact on the local environment and wildlife. Vegetation clearance had to take place along the 8.5km length of the project, but Carlisle explains that hedges and bushes were replanted or transplanted where possible, while three new trees were planted for every mature tree removed. He adds: “Obviously there are environmental sensitivities in Belfast Lough. The River Lagan is hydrologically linked to Belfast Lough. So we tried to minimise the impact on the river corridor as much as possible.”
Access
Carlisle details how access to the river is maintained: “Obviously a scheme that extends over this sort of length, there are multiple points of access. It is a much used amenity.
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We needed to maintain that access. There are numerous points where the line of defences cross over roadways, so it is not physically possible to build a solid wall.”
To maintain access, temporary measures such as stop logs, post and plank barriers, K-frame defences, temporary flood barriers and flood gates are ready to deploy in the event of a tidal flood event. Operatives from the Department will be deployed in such an event to install the temporary defences, with materials for the temporary measures stored in nearby containers. Carlilse says: “That is to cut down transportation and the logistics of getting it here when it needs to be here.”
Deployment of DfI operatives is informed by the multi-agency Coastal Response Plan which is due to be updated on foot of the completion of the scheme. To enable a timely response to tidal flood events, the Department receives tidal forecasts from the Met Office five days out which are refined as the tidal event approaches.
Minister for Infrastructure Liz Kimmins MLA visited the scheme in March 2025, saying: “Adapting to climate is one of my Department’s seven foundations for a better future. While we cannot prevent all flooding from happening, we can reduce the impacts with appropriate
infrastructure investment. The completion of this £33 million scheme is a major boost for over 3,000 homes and businesses not only today but also for future generations as we bolster our defences to help protect against tidal flooding.
“Completion of this project means the city will be better prepared for future tidal flooding events, safeguarding both people and infrastructure whilst also promoting long term resilience. We are already experiencing a change in our weather with increasingly severe storms and the design of these flood defences takes into account climate change projections to 2080.
“This work is part of an ongoing programme in flood risk management. Significant investment is required to provide vital new infrastructure such as the Belfast Tidal Flood Alleviation Scheme but also to upgrade existing flood defences across the North and address years of historic underinvestment in this area.
“I would also like to commend the team who have designed the defences to integrate with their surroundings. This vital work contributes to protecting a thriving city where people want to live and work, to visit and invest – both now and in the future.”
Openreach director benefits from new family leave policy
This move reflects Openreach’s strong commitment to promoting a positive work-life balance across all levels of the business – a value embodied in the company’s enhanced family leave policy, which offers all new parents 18 weeks at full pay, eight weeks at half pay, and 26 weeks at the statutory rate.
“Taking this time to be with my family is invaluable,” Kavanagh says. “I am grateful for the support of my team and proud to work in a business that encourages its leaders to embrace family commitments without hesitation. The strategy and purpose we have built at Openreach Northern Ireland remains in full motion – and I know Lauren will continue to drive it forward.”
Garret, who has overseen a transformative period of network expansion, played a key role in Openreach Northern Ireland’s ambitious extension of its full fibre rollout. Under his leadership, the company recently announced it had successfully reached 90 per cent coverage in its rollout of full fibre broadband, through its significant commercial investment in coverage – all without the need for additional government funding.
Now, the baton passes to Lauren McGaughey, a seasoned leader with over a decade’s experience within Openreach and BT Group. Her appointment as Acting Director marks a natural step in her progression.
“Stepping into this role has been an incredible learning experience,” McGaughey says. “I am excited for the challenges ahead and proud to be part of a business that champions
Openreach Northern Ireland has announced a temporary leadership change as Director Garret Kavanagh takes family leave to spend time with his growing family. During his leave, Lauren McGaughey will step into the role of Acting Director for Openreach Northern Ireland.
development and trust at every level. Openreach’s full fibre build is central to Northern Ireland’s digital future and economic growth – and I am ready to lead the next stage of that journey.”
With a background in network and commercial operations, Lauren brings deep insight and proven leadership to the role.
At Openreach, connecting people to the things that matter most – including family – is central to the company’s purpose. This leadership transition exemplifies Openreach’s belief that work-life balance should be accessible at all levels, including the very top.
As the build to a future-proof Full Fibre network continues, the company’s goal remains the same: to keep Northern Ireland connected, ensuring homes and businesses are ready for the digital demands of tomorrow.
For further information, visit openreach.com/fibre-checker
Lauren McGaughey, Acting Director of Openreach Northern Ireland.
issues agenda
Poverty in Northern Ireland
There
was a slight fall in relative poverty between 2022/23 and 2023/24 according to data from the Northern Ireland Poverty and Income Inequality report 2023/24, published by the Department for Communities (DfC) in March 2025.
In 2023/24, approximately 335,000 people (18 per cent of the total population of Northern Ireland) were in relative income poverty. Relative poverty is where a household has income of less than 60 per cent of the UK median household income.
After housing costs, the median income for households in UK ranges from £17,058 for single people without children, and £47,645 for couples with children. The relative poverty threshold in the UK in 2023/24 ranged from £10,235, to £17,646.
For relative income poverty in the total population, Northern Ireland was below the UK-wide rate of 21 per cent. Northern Ireland experienced a decrease in the rate from 2022/23 when it was 19
per cent (351,000), while the UK rate remained the same. Overall, relative income poverty in Northern Ireland among the total population has decreased from 2013/14 when it stood at 21 per cent (386,000), in line with the UK rate that year.
Data also shows the rate of absolute income poverty in Northern Ireland –households whose equivalised income is less than 60 per cent of the inflation –adjusted median UK household income in 2010/11. The absolute poverty threshold in the UK in 2023/24 ranged from £9,581 to £26,761.
Approximately 279,000 people representing 15 per cent of the total population in Northern Ireland were in absolute income poverty after housing
costs in 2023/24, below the UK rate of 18 per cent. This represents an increase from 2022/23 for Northern Ireland when it stood at 14 per cent (271,000).
Children
Of the population of children in Northern Ireland, 25 per cent (115,000) were in relative income poverty in 2023/24, below the UK rate of 31 per cent. This rate remained unchanged for Northern Ireland from 2022/23 while the UK rate increased slightly from 30 per cent. Overall, relative income poverty in Northern Ireland among children has decreased slightly from 2013/14 when it stood at 26 per cent (115,000).
Of the population of children in Northern Ireland, 21 per cent (95,000) were in
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absolute income poverty in 2023/24, below the UK rate of 26 per cent. This represents an increase for Northern Ireland from 2022/23 when it stood at 20 per cent (93,000).
To tackle child poverty in the UK, groups like Barnardo’s, Save the Children UK, and the Child Poverty Action Group have put pressure on UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer MP to scrap the two-child benefit cap. Introduced by Tory former chancellor George Osborne, the cap prevents parents from claiming benefits for any third or subsequent children born after April 2017.
The Child Poverty Action group said: “In the absence of government intervention, the number of children in poverty in the UK is expected to rise from 4.5 million to 4.8 million by the end of this parliament.”
Working-age adults
Approximately 16 per cent (185,000) of working-age adults in Northern Ireland were in relative income poverty in 2023/24, below the UK rate of 19 per cent. This represents a decrease from 2022/23 when it stood at 18 percent, while the UK rate also fell from 20 per cent. Overall, relative income poverty in Northern Ireland has decreased from 2013/14 when it stood at 21 per cent (225,000), in line with the UK rate that year.
For working-age adults, 14 per cent (157,000) were in absolute income poverty, below the UK rate of 17 per cent. This figure remained unchanged from 2022/23 for Northern Ireland.
Pensioners
For pensioners, 12 per cent (35,000) were in relative income poverty in 2023/24, below the UK rate of 16 per cent. This rate remained unchanged for Northern Ireland and the UK from 2022/23. Overall, relative income poverty in Northern Ireland has decreased from 2013/2014 when it stood at 16 per cent (46,000).
Approximately, 27,000 pensioners in Northern Ireland representing 9 per cent were in absolute income poverty, below the UK rate of 13 per cent. This represents an increase for Northern Ireland from 2022/23 when it was 7 per cent.
Relative income poverty among the total population
Relative income poverty among working-age adults
In July 2024, a decision was taken to means test the Winter Fuel Payment (WFP) which DfC estimates would impact 250,000 pensioners. To mitigate this, Communities Minister Gordon Lyons allocated £17 million from the Executive to provide one-off fuel support payments of £100 for people no longer eligible for WFP.
Anti-Poverty Strategy
DfC aims to tackle poverty through the Anti-Poverty Strategy, which was signed off by Executive members in May 2025. In March 2025, the Royal Courts of Justice found the Executive Committee in breach of its legal obligation to adopt the Strategy, a requirement under the Northern Ireland (St Andrews Agreement) Act 2006.
A DfC spokesperson tells agendaNi: “Poverty is a complex and multifaceted issue with many different root causes and effects. Poverty impacts every aspect of society and effectively tackling this issue will lead to benefits, not only for individuals and families but for the wider community and economy.”
“The Northern Ireland Executive AntiPoverty Strategy will aim to reduce the risk of falling into poverty, mitigate impacts and support people in exiting poverty. It will set out a crossdepartmental commitment to a joined-up, long-term approach to addressing poverty across all ages.”
Fibrus fuels Northern Ireland with a £431 million economic contribution
Dominic Kearns, CEO and founder of Fibrus, discusses the findings of a new economic and social impact report by Grant Thornton.
When Fibrus was founded five years ago, we set out to revolutionise broadband services for communities, homes, and businesses. For years, rural families and businesses across Northern Ireland were promised better – and we are proud to be the changemakers who turned that promise into reality.
Anecdotally, through feedback from employees, customers, politicians, policymakers and community groups, we know that Fibrus has made a huge impact on Northern Ireland. The success of Project Stratum has resulted in Northern Ireland now boasting a 94 per cent connectivity rate, significantly
ahead of other UK nations and regions, making the province a trailblazer for digital connectivity and ensuring a prosperous future for the Northern Ireland workforce.
But we wanted to understand just how far reaching and impactful our work here since 2020 has been. We commissioned leading economists from Grant Thornton to help us and through the newly released Fibrus: Economic Impact Report, they have delivered. The report, launched in May 2025 outlines the real-world difference Project Stratum and Fibrus have made to rural communities since our inception.
The report evaluates the economic impact of Fibrus’ footprint in Northern Ireland and highlights the significant progress we have made in bridging the digital divide and levelling up opportunities for rural communities. It proves that we are not just about faster internet speeds – we are driving economic growth, fostering connected communities, and creating competition to ensure households get value for money and better customer service.
• Fibrus, which currently employs 435 people, has generated £431 million in total expenditure since its inception in 2020. Of that, £74
million comes directly from company operations, including turnover, wages, and job creation.
• Fibrus has also contributed an additional £271 million via our supply chain spend, with a further £86 million driven by the indirect local spending of its employees. This means that we are injecting money back into our regional economies through everyday purchases at supermarkets, cafés, petrol stations, restaurants, and retail outlets.
• The economic and social impact report also reveals potential productivity gains of over £50 million per annum – this represents a recurring benefit felt through the region’s rural towns and communities as a result of Project Stratum.
• Beyond economic gains, the Grant Thornton report also highlights the strong social impact of Fibrus’ community initiatives. Communities are at the heart of everything we do at Fibrus. From its inception, Fibrus has been committed to building, fostering, and supporting connected communities. This commitment is reflected in our contribution to community initiatives across Northern Ireland. Since 2020, the company has donated more than £411,000 to charitable causes and grassroots programmes, supporting local organisations and enhancing community resilience through its dedicated funding programmes.
Project Stratum is the largest telecoms infrastructure project ever seen here and Fibrus is delighted to be on track to see its completion in June, connecting over 81,000 premises - on time and within budget. Project Stratum, which was part-funded by the Department for the Economy, UK Government, and DAERA, set out to transform lives in rural communities, offering them the same opportunities as their urban counterparts.
What the report confirms is that digital infrastructure improvement has been crucial for the Northern Ireland economy. Digital connectivity enables the development of smart cities and facilitates the region’s transition to a knowledge-based economy. Our digital connectivity in Northern Ireland has improved in recent years, as demonstrated by the fact that internet access in Northern Ireland has increased from 82 per cent of households in 2015/16 to 91 per cent in 2021/22 and now sitting at an enviable 94 per cent.
However, we recognise that challenges persist, including the ‘digital divide’ –the gap in access to and use of information and communication technologies between people, households, businesses, and regions. While Fibrus has been a key player in driving the improvement of Northern Ireland’s digital infrastructure, there unfortunately remains some far-reaching locations where the ‘digital divide’ is still felt.
But we are just getting started and we have every intention of doing what we can to drive change in those left behind locations. As the Deloitte fastestgrowing tech company in Northern Ireland and the second fastest across all of Ireland, we are very much still leading the charge. We are on track to reach our ambitious target of 500,000 connectable premises in the next few years, while building on our strong momentum to grow our customer base to 200,000.
We are confident that the impact Fibrus is making to the Northern Ireland economy and rural communities province-wide will only grow in the years to come as we continue to deliver positive changes to our rural communities, drive economic growth, and bridge the ‘digital divide’ in Northern Ireland.
The Northern Ireland Civil Service has published a ‘people strategy’ for the years 2025 to 2030, outlining its goals of creating a workforce that is “collaborative, skilled, and delivery-focused”.
Published in late-April 2025, the Northern Ireland Civil Service People Strategy: 2025-2030, is aligned with the Programme for Government, Doing What Matters Most, and focuses on supporting public services through workforce development.
It states: “The Civil Service People Strategy aligns with the Programme for Government… with a clear focus which centres on collaborative decisionmaking and outcomes-based approaches.”
The strategy is framed around three overarching people priorities:
• skills and capacity;
• experience and environment; and
• leadership and inclusion.
The document notes: “Focusing on these priorities and related actions over the next five years will enable us to support Ministers and the Executive as a whole in developing and implementing their policies, and in delivering public services.”
Skills and capacity
This priority is aimed at ensuring the Civil Service workforce is the “right size and shape”, with appropriate skills for current and future demands. The strategy highlights low satisfaction in learning opportunities, stating: “Currently only 48 per cent of the workforce responding to our People Survey think that they receive sufficient learning and development opportunities.”
Interventions over the first two years include:
Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, Jayne Brady.
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• simplifying and streamlining recruitment processes;
• developing workforce planning toolkits and modelling proposals;
• completing a review of Civil Service professions;
• implementing a new Learning and Development Strategy; and
• increasing opportunities for digital upskilling and use of technology.
It also mentions plans to “offer the opportunity to the workforce to complete rotations within the Civil Service to gain skills and provide versatility”.
Experience and environment
The Strategy’s second priority area is focused on employee experience. It identifies the need for clearer responsibilities, improved wellbeing, and a more supportive workplace culture. It states: “When members of the workforce are appropriately recognised and rewarded… it fosters a sense of pride and motivation.”
Key interventions include:
• reviewing policies including performance management, grievance procedures, and hybrid working;
• standardising the approach to managing absence and occupational health;
• delivering the Civil Service Health and Wellbeing Strategy; and
• introducing a new Pay and Reward Strategy and recognition schemes.
The strategy commits to continued delivery of the Civil Service Estate Strategy to ensure “a greener and more modern environment to work in”.
Leadership and inclusion
This priority addresses leadership capability, inclusive practices, and decision-making. The strategy states: “Each one of us has the ability to play a leading role in our work which contributes to the Civil Service making a positive difference to people here.”
Planned actions include:
• promoting collective leadership through visible engagement and communications;
• developing a Senior Civil Service Strategy;
• refreshing the Civil Service Competency Framework;
• exploring strengths-based recruitment methods; and
• expanding mentoring and employability programmes.
The document also refers to the importance of ensuring leaders “nurture an inclusive and innovative environment, and set an example for their teams”.
Implementation
Implementation will be overseen by the Civil Service Board and its People Sub-Committee. The strategy outlines specific roles for the Board, departmental leadership teams, managers, individuals, and the HR function. It states: “We will be successful through working together and also delivering our people priorities in collaboration with Central Trade Union Side (CTUS).”
The strategy highlights the use of several measurement tools, including the People Survey, pulse surveys, and focus groups. It commits to publishing an annual progress report and states that implementation plans “will remain live documents subject to ongoing monitoring and review”.
Finance Minister John O’Dowd MLA says: “The People Strategy sets a clear direction and focus for the Civil Service to meet both current and future challenges. The Civil Service will be best placed to meet those challenges if we can both attract and retain colleagues and support them to develop. This People Strategy builds on our strengths and what we have delivered and signals our ambition and aspiration for colleagues and the Civil Service.”
Blue Carbon Action Plan published
In April 2025, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) published Northern Ireland’s first Blue Carbon Action Plan, outlining a strategic roadmap to protect and restore marine ecosystems that play a critical role in climate change mitigation.
The 2025-2030 plan, developed through a collaborative process with stakeholders and the Biodiversity and Climate Stakeholder Working Group, represents “a pivotal moment in our understanding of how marine ecosystems can help contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation”.
Recognising the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, the Plan positions blue carbon habitats such as saltmarshes, seagrass beds, and maerl as essential nature-based solutions. These ecosystems “capture and store greenhouse gases... accumulating over long timescales through natural processes”, the report states.
Outlining the long-term vision, the action plan document states that by 2050, Northern Ireland will have “protected, well-managed, and enhanced blue carbon habitats, providing us with increased nature-based carbon capture
and storage alongside wider ecosystem service benefits”.
The document identifies seven key objectives across six thematic areas, including governance, evidencegathering, funding, and public engagement. These objectives aim to establish monitoring frameworks, support habitat restoration projects, and align marine conservation with broader climate and environmental strategies.
Among the headline actions are the establishment of a Marine Nature Recovery Working Group by late 2025, a commitment to develop “prioritisation criteria” for restoration efforts, and the publication of a progress report by December 2030.
Importantly, the action plan is closely aligned with key legislative and policy commitments, including the Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity
Framework, and the OSPAR North-East Atlantic Environment Strategy 2030.
Currently, 56 per cent of blue carbon habitats identified in a 2021 feasibility study are located within existing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). New protections introduced in 2023, such as gear restrictions within MPAs, will further safeguard critical habitats like subtidal seagrass beds and maerl reefs.
Speaking upon publication, Minister Andrew Muir MLA said: “The Blue Carbon Action Plan leads the way in demonstrating how The Executive’s Programme for Government 2024-2027 commitment to tackling the twin challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss can be delivered.
“The Action Plan recognises how blue carbon habitats provide nature-based solutions to climate change and their wider environmental and societal benefits.”
Northern Ireland paves way as Openreach hits 90 per cent full fibre milestone
Openreach Northern Ireland (NI) has announced that it has successfully reached 90 per cent coverage in its rollout of full fibre broadband, becoming the first region within the Openreach UK network to hit this milestone.
This achievement is part of Openreach’s significant investment to bring futureproof broadband infrastructure to more than 830,000 homes and businesses across the region, including some of the most rural and previously underserved communities
Lauren McGaughey, Acting Director of Openreach NI, says: “Reaching 90 per
cent full fibre coverage is a significant milestone and reflects our commitment to connecting Northern Ireland to worldclass digital infrastructure. We are not just building for today; we are building for the future. Our focus is firmly on ensuring that everyone, no matter where they live or work, can benefit from fast, reliable, and sustainable connectivity.”
She adds: “The rollout of this technology is helping to level the playing field between urban centres and rural areas, giving people and businesses more freedom to choose where they operate and grow. From enabling more flexible working to driving environmental benefits through reduced commuting, Full Fibre is changing the way we live and work – and we are proud to have reached this milestone.”
Full Fibre broadband is already being used by over 64 per cent of end customers on the Openreach network in Northern Ireland, with the infrastructure in place for many more to benefit. Openreach’s plans remain on track to reach 97 per cent coverage of Northern Ireland.
Katie Milligan, Deputy CEO and Chief Commercial Officer, Openreach, says: “This milestone firmly establishes Northern Ireland as the UK’s leader in full fibre deployment. We’re proud to play a central role in enabling economic growth, attracting investment, and supporting communities right across the region. Our continued investment in this digital backbone will keep Northern Ireland connected and competitive for decades to come.”
With Northern Ireland now recognised as the most connected region in the UK, this announcement provides even greater choice for consumers on their selection of communication providers. Openreach remains focused on pushing further into rural areas, ensuring no community is left behind in the digital revolution.
Check availability at openreach.com/fibre-checker
Lauren McGaughey, Acting Director of Openreach Northern Ireland.
Wednesday 11 - Thursday 12 June
2025
Energy Ireland 2025 will bring together all the key stakeholders in the Irish energy sector to discuss and debate the key drivers of the energy transition and energy security. Ireland’s main energy conference will look at the developments that will decarbonise Ireland’s increasingly integrated energy system.
Speakers include:
Darragh O’Brien TD Minister for Climate, Environment and Energy
Dr Caoimhe Archibald MLA Minister for the Economy Northern Ireland
Tanya Harrington Commissioner CRU
Paddy Hayes Chief Executive ESB
Cecilia Trasi Research Analyst Bruegel
Cathal Marley Chief Executive EirGrid
Marzia Sesini Research Team Leader, Florence School of Regulation European University Institute
Denis O'Sullivan Director of Assets Bord Gáis Energy
Eva Barrett Director of Policy and Regulation Irish Solar Energy Association
Stephen Gallagher Managing Director SSE Airtricity
Pauline O’Reilly CEO Irish District Energy Association
Caroline Roche Offshore Environment and Consents Manager Energia
Declan Meally Director of Business, Public Sector and Transport Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland
Cillian O’Donoghue Policy Director Eurelectric
Ronan Galwey Interim CEO Gas Networks Ireland
Major Sponsors
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Economy Minister: Progressing the energy transition
Writing
in agendaNi, Economy Minister Caoimhe
Archibald MLA outlines the progress of the energy transition in pursuit of a decarbonised economy.
Decarbonising our economy by 2050 is not just a moral and legal obligation. It is also an opportunity to reduce business costs and improve household incomes across the region.
A just transition allows us to move away from our long-term over-reliance on fossil fuels, and the cost volatilities that come with that over-reliance.
Recent extreme weather events and shocks to global energy systems have highlighted the importance of harnessing the abundance of renewable energy sources on this island, so that we may take control of our own energy future.
Therefore, we continue to strive towards self-sufficiency in affordable renewable energy, which will enable our
homes and businesses to pay a fair price for the energy they consume.
Delivery of the 2021 Energy Strategy: Path to Net Zero Energy long-term vision of net zero carbon and affordable energy can help to advance my four economic priorities of creating more good jobs; addressing regional imbalance; increasing productivity; and delivering decarbonisation.
Progress towards a decarbonised energy system and a net zero economy cannot be done in isolation. My Department and my Executive colleagues are committed to establishing a robust regulatory environment, with fit for purpose and modern legislation to ensure both public and private stakeholders can
play their part in the energy transition.
It is also paramount that the cost of delivering emission reductions does not fall disproportionately on vulnerable consumers. The only way this can be achieved is through collaboration with communities, businesses, local government, statutory partners, and all of those who have an interest in creating an inclusive and equitable path towards a sustainable future.
Mid-term review
By the end of 2025, my department will have completed a mid-term review of the 10-year Strategy, to ensure that we are focused on delivering our decarbonisation targets and Climate Change Act requirements for the remainder of this decade.
The mid-term review is one of 19 crossgovernment actions outlined in the Energy Strategy Action Plan 2025, published in March 2025, and highlights the array of policies being brought forward by my department and government colleagues as we seek to deliver a step change in delivery pace.
80 by 30
A whole-system approach is needed to deliver on the challenging Climate Change Act target of delivering at least 80 per cent electricity consumption from renewable sources by 2030. My department has lead responsibility for the target, but collaboration across departments and with wider stakeholders, is essential to successful delivery.
To meet this target, more renewable electricity capacity will be required, as committed to in the Programme for Government 2024-2027.
However, this will not be delivered without planning consent for significant electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure projects, which highlights the cross-cutting nature of our collective challenge.
In the coming months, I will publish the final scheme design for new renewable electricity support, which will include eligibility criteria, delivery roles and responsibilities, and an outline of the contract allocation process.
This support will be known as the Renewable Electricity Price Guarantee (REPG) and I plan to bring primary legislation before the Assembly in 2025, with subordinate regulations to follow, as we move towards implementation.
Grid investment
Increasing renewable deployment must be matched by investment in infrastructure. Work is ongoing with key partners to ensure that our grid and energy systems are prepared to accommodate greater levels of clean electricity.
The Utility Regulator’s approval of Northern Ireland Electricity Networks’ RP7 Business Plan at the end of 2024 represented the largest ever investment in the operation and expansion of the electricity grid and will go a long way to delivering the network we need.
The North-South Interconnector is a critical project which will benefit
electricity consumers, increase security of supply, and facilitate more renewable electricity onto the grid.
In addition, we must also ensure that we maximise the renewable resources currently available to us. Dispatch down occurs when, for operational reasons some renewable generators are asked not to produce as much power as they otherwise would, it is a feature of every electricity system. However, current levels here are higher than we would wish. My officials are engaging with SONI and the Utility Regulator on reducing the levels of dispatch down with the aim of ensuring the delivery of more renewable electricity onto the grid at lower cost.
Smart meters
As a further commitment of the Energy Strategy Action Plan 2025, later in 2025 I will launch the Smart Meters Design Programme. Smart meters will empower consumers to control their own energy usage through access to an enhanced level of information on their energy consumption. The rollout will also support the delivery of real-time balancing on the system of supply and demand, in turn delivering a reduced need for extra electricity gridstrengthening projects and lower carbon emissions.
Energy efficiency
Beyond electricity, my department is finalising a consultation on evidencebased options for domestic energy efficiency support for publication also later in 2025, the outcome of which will help to inform the design, rules, and guidance of future support for domestic energy efficiency across the north.
Over the past two years my department has invested £3.5 million in the NI Sustainable Energy Programme (NISEP), with a focus on insulation measures to 1,500 low-income households. I have asked my officials to continue to work with partners to assess the options for further scaling up of existing energy efficiency programmes and I am pleased that they continue to engage with colleagues to learn about retrofitting and funding options which are in place.
Additionally, my department continues to work on a number of biomethane actions as part of the Energy Strategy Action Plan 2025. Having recently published the responses to the
Developing Biomethane Call for Evidence, we are working closely with partners to develop an economic and sustainable biomethane sector which is fair and offers consumers competitive pricing.
To 2030 and beyond
Alongside a focus on the 80 by 30 target, we must also ensure that we are creating a pathway to meet the overarching net zero by 2050 target. Following development of the Offshore Renewable Energy Action Plan (OREAP), my department recently consulted on the OREAP: Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Environmental Report and Report to Inform the Appropriate Assessment (RIAA). This will help us identify suitable marine areas which maximise the potential of offshore renewable energy whilst minimising ecological disruption to the seabed and to those who live and work in coastal areas.
Similarly, following the establishment of a Hydrogen Industry Working Group, I intend to publish a hydrogen policy consultation paper, which will inform an action plan to assist industry with the development of a resilient low carbon hydrogen sector as an integral part of our energy system.
Conclusion
The Programme for Government commits us to decarbonisation and to embracing the economic opportunities that our renewables sector can bring. If we are to maximise these economic opportunities, it is critical that homes and businesses experience the tangible benefits of this transition.
The 2021 Energy Strategy’s first key principle was to place consumers at the heart of our energy future, and it is essential that this remains a central pillar as we move towards meeting our ambitious and challenging 2030 targets. Moving away from cost volatility for our current energy use is key to ensuring a just transition, protecting consumers today and tomorrow.
Improving outcomes for homes and businesses across the region requires a collective effort to ensure that people feel informed, equipped and supported to make the necessary change that will drive the transition.
Working in collaboration to unlock the potential of the network
Ronan McKeown, Director of Future Networks with NIE Networks, is a man who likes a challenge. Faced with the biggest transformation of the electricity networks in a generation, an increasingly complex energy system, and growing pressure for the network to do more, faster, he is also keen to exploit as many innovative and new techniques as possible.
Embarking on RP7
The company has just started its new price control period (RP7) which involves an unprecedented investment of £2.3 billion in the network over the next six years. The RP7 period runs up until 2031 and is a step increase in pace and scale in terms of transformation of the electricity network in order to facilitate a
net zero carbon future. Their plan is to deliver an innovative, dynamic, and integrated electricity system that is designed to meet the future energy needs of Northern Ireland. This investment is in response to the rising number of low carbon technologies (LCTs) that need to connect to the network to help Northern Ireland meet its energy strategy ambitions.
The increased scale of funding, infrastructure upgrades, technology, and stakeholder interaction all require an evolution of the business model to maintain their existing focus on safety and efficiency, while investing in people and the technological capability to meet their RP7 commitments.
Bottom line, the company recognises that the way they have connected homes and businesses to the electricity network up to now will not work in the future.
Economic growth
The implications of the decisions they take are not lost on McKeown or his team. He explains: “The electricity network plays a crucial role beyond its core function of delivering a safe and reliable energy supply. Its capability and performance are closely aligned to economic growth and social development so we are conscious that the decisions we make today will have lasting implications not just for Northern Ireland plc but for all of us who rely on a reliable electricity supply.
“What is clear is that those countries worldwide who have closely aligned their net zero approach to economic delivery are the ones who are meeting or exceeding their climate change targets. For me that encapsulates the crucial role we play and how important it is that we are working closely with statutory bodies and industry.”
Delivering a sustainable energy system for all
Electrification
NIE Networks generates revenue through a regulated model where every kWh of electricity consumed has a price associated with it. The revenues earned by NIE Networks are fixed by the Utility Regulator which means that the more electricity that flows through the network, the cheaper each kWh is for the homes and businesses here. Part of the solution for Northern Ireland plc therefore is to continue to electrify heat and transport but also to seek inward investment which can drive electricity demand to a level where electrification becomes more accessible to all. By targeting and supporting high energy users to invest and expand here, there are wider benefits for businesses and society which in turn will also help Northern Ireland to achieve net zero targets.
“Understanding how we collectively create that demand for clean and renewable electricity can benefit our lives and our economy. Electrification and economic growth are a circular system; growing the economy will increase demand which will place
downward pressure on energy costs thereby driving expansion and economic growth,” McKeown explains.
The decarbonisation challenge is significant, but McKeown is confident that the solutions are to be found in the electricity network which he says can address many of the issues being faced including ESG targets, high energy costs, social affordability, and economic growth.
“The network and the workforce are there to deliver the opportunities available to us and make it work for the homes, farms, and businesses in Northern Ireland. As a company we are very conscious about the need to make the network work for the people of Northern Ireland and to do the right thing.”
Complex system
The electricity network in Northern Ireland has already been developing significantly to a point where nearly half of all electricity consumed here comes from renewable sources. Increasing the amount of energy that comes from
renewables is influenced by a number of factors including markets, economic policy, and affordability.
McKeown explains: “The electricity system is a complex and sophisticated one and we are all the time working to push the boundaries and do more. We also have 929,000 homes, farms, and businesses who are relying on us every hour of every day to provide a safe, secure, and reliable supply. So, we need to push the network to do more within these confines, particularly as more people start to use the network to charge their car and heat their homes.”
“Our RP7 plan was developed with stakeholders to ensure we have the capability to meet the rising needs on the electricity network. This is challenging as the adoption of low carbon technologies such as EVs and heat pumps has not risen as quickly here as it has in other parts of the world. It is needed, however, if we want to reach our net zero ambitions so we are hopeful that through close collaboration with key stakeholders we can help stimulate the demand necessary to keep on track with the strategic energy targets.”
The company believes that the solution again lies in engaging with all parts of the energy ecosystem to ensure the infrastructure in Northern Ireland is developed holistically. “It is something we are working with statutory agencies to explore as we believe closer cooperation will allow us all to identify and exploit infrastructure opportunities that exist right now,” McKeown explains.
Business pressure
To meet Climate Change Act targets and ESG credentials, which are increasingly important to investors, businesses are working to decarbonise their operations. In a volatile trading market they also need to remain highly competitive and reduce their energy costs. It can become something of a conundrum as companies try to work out how to electrify operations yet remain competitive.
“I have had conversations with businesses where their plans to decarbonise had increased their capacity requirements and the connection charge they anticipated was out of reach for them financially. A relatively quick exploration of their operations allowed us to see that their
Delivering a sustainable energy system for all
capacity requirements did not need to be as high. As a result of that, and a few other creative solutions, the cost was reduced to a level that they were comfortable with. With the right information and insight we can make the electrification process simpler and much more efficient for businesses but the challenge for us is how we do that at scale,” McKeown says.
He continues: “Ideally we would want to be able to provide expert insight and advice to all businesses on a case-bycase basis, but in a world where every business is suddenly looking to decarbonise, that provides us with significant challenges. We are working at the minute to explore solutions whereby we scope the main challenges businesses are having and work to provide as much information as possible in a way that works for businesses.”
Current opportunities and collaboration
McKeown is clear that much can be done now: “There is, undoubtedly, opportunity for businesses within the network currently but it requires us to work much closer with industry to make those opportunities clear, to listen to their specific needs and to explore creative solutions. The key is collaboration with industry and making more information available to
businesses so they can make more informed choices.”
Another local example indicates just how beneficial this closer collaboration can be for everyone. He talks of a company planning to electrify their fleet and needing a level of additional capacity which would have incurred network design, significant cost, and traffic disruption to lay new cables. By working creatively, a solution was found whereby the capacity is drawn down during the early hours of the morning when it is readily available. It prevented the need for any development works and saved money and disruption.
The imperative is to work strategically. “Strategic spatial planning should be a priority,” McKeown says.
“The road to net zero is a complex and multi-faceted one and no industry or company can provide the entire solution. An area we would be keen to see developed is strategic spatial planning which is effectively creating a map of investment ‘hot spots’ where sites which have water, electricity, telecoms, and other key infrastructure capacity are overlaid on a map and used by statutory bodies to plan and support businesses to invest, expand, and develop, or where infrastructure is developed in a coordinated manner to meet evolving long-term energy needs.”
His overriding message is that industry should engage and share information at an early stage.
Delivering a sustainable energy system for all
“Right now, we are working with a large-scale energy user who is under significant time pressure to decarbonise their operations. The change will require more than double their current capacity requirements which involves significant work on our side. However, because we have been engaged at an early stage we can begin to plan for that so that when they come to the point at which they are ready to progress, we will be able to respond in a timely manner. I would strongly encourage any largescale electricity users to engage us at the earliest opportunity if they have plans to decarbonise so that we can facilitate their requirements in a way that works for all sides.”
Connection process
Another key area of development is in relation to the connection process. A Department for Economy consultation on a new socialised connection model closed in April 2025. McKeown says, when implemented, it will create greater access to the electricity network and make it easier to decarbonise through electrification.
The proposal seeks to address one of the main differences between Northern Ireland and Great Britain in terms of electricity connections. In Northern Ireland, the first property or business to require a connection or capacity of a certain scale to that location will pay the cost for any reinforcements works required. In Great Britain they have a socialised charging model so the cost is paid for by everyone. This means that increasing the capacity to an area for a heat pump or an EV charger becomes a more accessible choice to domestic customers and for small businesses who are seeking to decarbonise their businesses and remain competitive.
The company are also looking at their own internal processes for connections.
“Making the connection process easier and more transparent is a strategic
focus for us,” McKeown says. “Businesses need to know upfront what opportunities are available, how they can make an application and that the connection process is smooth and swift.”
Contingency planning
With the increase in electrification comes increasing pressure to provide a reliable supply – and climate change is also making that more challenging.
McKeown agrees: “We have definitely seen an increase in the strength of the storms we have faced lately, particularly with Storm Éowyn which was hurricane level. Around a third of the properties in Northern Ireland lost power during the height of the winds. This was the worst network damage and social impact that we have ever seen. We were able to restore power to 75 per cent of properties within 48 hours of being on the ground, but for some, they were without power for up to ten days.”
In April 2025, the Iberian Peninsula was plunged into darkness when a sudden and widespread power cut caused all of Spain, and some of Portugal, to lose power.
“I think these events have probably prompted organisations to consider their contingency plans in the event of a power cut. How we use electricity has changed in the last five years and is likely to change just as much again in the next five. Companies need to be thinking about their plans in the event that power cuts are longer lasting or more widespread than we have been used to in the past. With all of these things you plan for the worst but hope for the best and that’s certainly something we are focusing on as well moving forward,” McKeown explains. Much of the future remains unclear or undecided. However, what is clear is the level of challenge faced by industry and the network operators as they work across so many fronts in a rapidly changing world. McKeown remains optimistic that the opportunities are there to make positive differences on all fronts: “One benefit of being a small country is that closer collaboration is easier and I think we have resources available to us that we can exploit. We just need to work together and think creatively and I have no doubt we’ll be able to find the solutions in time.” www.nienetworks.com
Filling the energy supply gap
Transitioning to renewable energy from fossil fuels to meet net zero targets by 2050 is creating supply challenges, necessitating a mix of short-, medium-, and long-term energy storage methods, Tony Roulstone, University of Cambridge lecturer, tells agendaNi
Roulstone outlines research by Independent Commodity Intelligent Services from November 2024 which found that 50 per cent of electricity in Europe was generated using renewable methods between January and August 2024. However, he notes that many countries had hundreds of hours of negative power price due to the system being overloaded with high wind and solar generation.
“There is an economic problem here which needs to be solved. It is only going to get worse as renewable shares increase,” observes Roulstone. “If you have negative power prices, it tells you that you have got more supply than demand.” There will also be periods when supply does not meet demand.
For the future UK power system, electricity generated from renewable methods like solar and wind will range between 30GW and 200GW due to variations in weather, while demand vary much less, between 60GW and 80GW. “This is called the supply gap,” asserts Roulstone.
Delivering a sustainable energy system for
“If you do not have energy storage, supply will be very volatile. You will not meet the grid requirement to meet demand and market prices will be all over the place.”
“If you had enough renewable supply to generate 600TWh in the year (UK forecast for 2050), you would be missing about 20 per cent of demand, so you need to fill it up. At other times, you will have 20 per cent of excess supply and therefore curtailment.”
Therefore, countries will need flexibility in the system to ensure demand is met and to use the excess. He traces the difficulty of meeting the power requirement to solve this problem: “It is rather peaky. Very high power is needed for very short periods of time. You need something which provides lots of power, but not very often.”
Suitable methods
A key question is the length of time excess electricity needs to be stored for later supply. Roulstone explains. There is no single answer to this question as he outlines: “Our analysis found that 10 per cent needs to be stored for a day, 50 per cent – the biggest amount – needs to be stored for about a week. The balance needs to be stored for much longer periods of time –months and years.”
Storage methods include electro-chemical such as batteries, Li-Ion, and flow; physical systems such as compressed air, liquid air, and thermal energy; and chemical systems such as hydrogen, ammonia, and hydrocarbons. Roulstone says electro-chemical systems are the most efficient, followed by physical systems, and then chemical systems.
However, batteries are also the most expensive form of storage, costing about $100 per kWh of capacity. He notes: “If you want to store the amount that Ireland will need, the cost would be about twice the GDP of Ireland. It is not going to be done. You need something that is probably 100 times cheaper than that.” The answer comes in the form of chemical systems which will have future storage costs of $1 per kWh, Roulstone says.
He indicates the importance of using a mix of storage methods, adding that “there are lots of options” to match the flexibility need created by renewable energy.
Batteries are most suitable for short-term storage, a mix of methods are suitable for medium-term storage including physical system such as pumped hydro and compressed air. Roulstone explains that chemical systems such as hydrogen are best for long-term storage. He also traces the important role of interconnectors for countries to share power, and that of natural gas and biomass which can be used for carbon capture and storage.
“Any type of storage is better than none, all types of storage are better than batteries alone and a chemical system has the smallest impact on electricity costs. There is little benefit from more than a couple of technologies,” Roulstone says.
He asserts that Ireland’s location means it is “inhospitable for solar power”, but it is “nicely positioned near the Atlantic” to take advantage of its fronts in the production of wind energy. However, because of its proximity to Europe, high pressure wind patterns originating on the continent can produce long periods of low wind, depriving Ireland of the wind it depends on.
Roulstone illustrates the importance of energy storage in Ireland and its geographical positioning: “Ireland is an isolated area surrounded by sea, loosely connected to the UK and it has to manage its energy by itself.” For Ireland, storage capacity of a few GWh are needed for short-term supply, 10 per cent of GWh is needed for the medium term, and between 5 and 10 per cent of annual demand is needed for long-term demand
Stressing the importance of energy storage in the transition from fossil fuels, Roulstone says: “If you do not have energy storage, supply will be very volatile. You will not meet the grid requirement to meet demand and market prices will be all over the place.”
Northern Ireland’s energy: The full story
With the cost of energy never far from the top of people’s minds, agendaNi talks to John French, Chief Executive of the Utility Regulator in Northern Ireland, to get under the skin of how it all operates.
How do electricity and gas prices in Northern Ireland compare to Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland?
For an average domestic household in Northern Ireland, the combined electricity and gas price is just over £2,000 a year. This is around £100 cheaper than Great Britain and £500 cheaper than the Republic of Ireland.
For business consumers, electricity prices in Northern Ireland are below that of Great Britain, and, for most consumer categories, the Republic of Ireland also.
The Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, and Great Britain have the highest gas prices in Europe for medium and large business connections, with Northern Ireland being below this.
However, prices in Northern Ireland for both domestic and business customers remain higher than the EU-15 average.
What sets the price of electricity in Northern Ireland?
The price of electricity in Northern Ireland, and on the island of Ireland through the Single Electricity Market (SEM), is generally set by the price of international wholesale gas.
Northern Ireland still depends on gasfired power stations to provide baseload power – ‘baseload’ is the minimum level of demand that is needed to be supplied to the electricity grid at any given time. Due to our geography, we cannot use cheap pump storage or hydroelectric
power, like in Norway, for baseload generation, nor is there the political appetite for nuclear power, which provides baseload generation in countries like France. Therefore, we need to continue to use gas to provide reliable baseload generation.
What is the Single Electricity Market (SEM)?
In 2004, it was agreed by the governments of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to develop a single electricity market for the island of Ireland. The idea was that, by combining the two electricity markets into one market, a more competitive, sustainable, and reliable electricity market could be developed.
John French, Chief Executive of the Utility Regulator in Northern Ireland
The all-island market went live on 1 November 2007, and it enables wholesale electricity to be traded competitively on an all-island basis.
The market is jointly operated by the System Operator for Northern Ireland (SONI) and Eirgrid and is regulated by the Utility Regulator and the Commission for Regulation of Utilities which, along with two independent members, form the SEM Committee (SEMC).
Can we not provide all our generation needs from renewable energy?
Currently, wind and solar provide over 40 per cent of Northern Ireland’s electricity demand and that has enabled gas, coal, oil, and peat-fired generating plants to have had a diminishing role in the provision of electricity in our market.
Whilst renewables provide clean, carbon-free energy and are crucial to us achieving our net zero goals, as set out in the Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, they still have not removed our dependency on gas. Wind turbines do not generate electricity on still days, and solar panels do not provide power at night or when it is dull and, as such, both of these fuels alone do not deliver our energy requirements on most days.
Therefore, we will still need gas-fired generation to provide electricity when the wind does not blow, or the sun does not shine, or both. Until technologies such as long-duration energy storage (batteries, etc.) and synchronous compensators (large flywheels) are developed and then rolled out, we will continue to need gas-fired power stations to provide back-up and baseload generation for Northern Ireland.
Do renewables have any effect on the cost of electricity?
Renewables have a dampening effect on the wholesale price of electricity. In Europe and Great Britain, a ‘merit order’ is used to decide the order in which generators provide electricity to the grid. In this agreed model, interconnectors (between Great Britain and Ireland) have the first call on providing electricity into the market. Then renewables, and then fossil fuel power stations.
It is the generating plant that is “last on” that sets the price, which normally, in the all-island market, is a gas-fired power station. Therefore, it is the cost of natural gas which sets the price of electricity in Northern Ireland.
A rough analogy of this is the penalty shootout in football, where the person who scores the last penalty decides the result. So, renewables are selected early in the merit order, but it is the last provider, most likely a gas-fired power station or a unit with a similar price, that decides the result and sets the price.
Why do some countries in Europe have cheaper electricity than Northern Ireland?
Countries that do not use gas, or that use less gas, as their baseload generation currently have cheaper prices than Northern Ireland. So, those Alpine
and Nordic countries that use hydroelectric power as their baseload generation, or those that use nuclear power, such as France, tend to have cheaper electricity prices than Northern Ireland.
Why
can wind and solar not provide baseload generation?
Unfortunately, wind and solar cannot be called upon 100 per cent of the time, as we cannot just turn on and off the wind and sunshine as and when required. Therefore, to make sure the ‘lights stay on’ we need to ensure we have a reliable source of electricity generation. Currently, in Northern Ireland, that reliable source is the gas-fired power stations at Ballylumford, Coolkeeragh and Kilroot, combined with the Moyle Interconnector (which runs between Ayrshire and County Antrim) and the interconnectors with the Republic of Ireland.
Is all electricity generation reliable?
All electricity is the same quality. However, not all is predictable. Wind output, for example, will fluctuate due to the variability of wind. It also does not provide the large quantities of inertia that are needed to run a secure system. The grid currently, therefore, needs conventional power stations to keep it steady and stable.
Conventional power stations are built around heavy rotating equipment, which helps to stabilise the grid by absorbing sudden fluctuations in supply and demand, ensuring the electricity frequency remains within acceptable limits.
As technology improves with the use of smart grids and other technologies such as synchronous compensators, the reliance on conventional power stations will reduce. But, as the recent blackouts in Spain and Portugal show, there is value in grid stability.
“We need to explore whether we can completely cut our link with international gas prices.”
How can we maximise the availability of the renewable energy we currently have?
To utilise the renewable energy we currently have most efficiently, we will need to build new transmission and distribution electricity power lines to enable it to be successfully transported from the point of generation to the point of need. One such project, the proposed North South Interconnector, is estimated by SONI to be able to save customers across the island of Ireland £55,000 per day, as electricity will be able to flow more efficiently North to South and vice versa.
What can be done to reduce the price of our electricity in Northern Ireland?
The electricity price in Northern Ireland will only significantly reduce when we can reduce and then remove our dependency on natural gas as our baseload generation source, and replace it with a cheaper alternative.
In the short term, electricity prices will only significantly reduce if the wholesale price of gas reduces. In the last five years, we have seen gas prices rise from their historic norms of 50-60 pence per therm, to, at times, prices around £6 per therm, following Russia’s invasion of
Ukraine. Recently, gas prices following President Trump’s election have fallen back to around 80 pence per therm. However, we have seen that the market remains ‘jittery’ and reacts to issues such as conflicts in the Middle East, and India-Pakistan.
In addition, prices could reduce with further interconnection between the SEM and Europe. The Celtic Interconnector between France and Ireland will connect the SEM with continental Europe and this should put a downward pressure on the cost of electricity, whilst providing secure and low-carbon electricity for all-island consumers. Operation trials are due to commence in 2026.
In the medium term, greater interconnection between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will significantly help to reduce the cost of energy within the SEM. It will enable the grid to operate more effectively and provide a ‘route to market’ for renewables produced in Northern Ireland. It could also reduce the need for baseload gas generation across the island of Ireland, further increasing the availability of renewables within the ‘merit order’.
In addition, more efficient electricity market coupling with Great Britain would help to reduce prices, as it would enable more efficient (‘day ahead’) trading between the two markets, which has been absent since the UK’s exit from the European Union.
The SEM Committee is also encouraging greater development of technologies such as long-term battery storage, synchronous compensators and pump-hydro, which will maximise our use of renewables and reduce the use of gas as our baseload technology.
In the longer term, we need to explore whether we can completely cut our link with international gas prices. For example, could our indigenous gas-fired power stations use fuels that are locally produced, such as green hydrogen from offshore wind, to generate low-carbon baseload electricity that is not connected to price fluctuations of the international gas prices.
What is the Utility Regulator doing?
Our current Corporate Strategy, which runs through to 2029, is about protecting consumers on the way to net zero. Through this strategy, we have four main objectives around supporting the just transition to net zero, securing
our energy supply and water services, enabling best in class energy and water companies, and providing the highest level of consumer service and protection.
In addition, we are looking to constantly improve the way we regulate the energy and water sectors, by being more dataled, increasing the pace and predictability of regulatory decisions and streamlining our processes to ensure we can play our part in protecting consumers and using our current statutory remit to make energy more affordable, sustainable and secure.
An example of this is our recent announcement which agreed a £2.23 billion investment in NIE Networks’ grid infrastructure, which will make the grid more resilient and support the uptake of low-carbon technologies, such as electric vehicles and heat pumps.
We continue to work with our partner, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities in Ireland, in the SEM to develop the electricity market on the island of Ireland to meet the challenges
of ‘keeping the lights on’, meeting both countries’ climate change goals and making electricity affordable to households and businesses to reduce fuel poverty and increase economic growth.
We are also working with the Department for the Economy on issues such as smart meters, which will support consumers to make more agile decisions on how and when they use their electricity, which could also help reduce electricity bills.
The energy transition is difficult, as we are dealing with complex, interconnected systems and international markets, but through this transition we need to keep a laser focus on the costs it is incurring for consumers and see what can be done to reduce our dependency on international gas prices, whilst ensuring there is a secure source of electricity to light our homes, cook our dinners, and power our businesses.
W: www.uregni.gov.uk
Delivering
Limited progress on Energy Strategy target delivery
Published alongside Energy Strategy Action Plan 2025 in March 2025, and providing an update on delivery, the Energy Strategy Action Plan Report 2024 indicates that limited progress has been made against targets to date.
Acting as a roadmap to deliver a 56 per cent reduction in energy-related emissions, achieve a target of 80 per cent of electricity consumption from renewable sources by 2030, and deliver net zero emissions across all sectors by 2050, the Energy Strategy: The Path to Net Zero Energy, also contains a commitment to publishing annual progress reports against its associated action plans.
Within the 2024 report, the Department for the Economy (DfE) provides an overview of its Energy Strategy targets and progress to date – including the latest developments in associated initiatives – to deliver against these.
Energy savings
Since the commencement of the Energy Strategy in 2022, cumulative energy savings from buildings and industry have equated to 1 per cent
(90.68 GWh) of the energy savings target of 8,000 GWh (a 25 per cent reduction from the baseline) by 2030. Total saved energy in 2024 increased by 0.02 GWh compared with the equivalent figure for 2023 (an increase of 0.02 per cent). A total of four sectors contribute to total energy savings:
1. residential;
2. business industrial processes;
3. public sector; and
4. electrical.
Cross-Executive engagement to determine energy savings from initiatives across each of these sectors is ongoing. Meanwhile, alongside the upskilling of the workforce to develop green skills intended to “ensure the appropriate retrofitting of buildings”, the new Fuel Poverty Energy Efficiency Scheme, with a commitment to continue “a whole house approach”
will, the Department asserts, contribute to the delivery of energy savings.
Electricity consumption
The Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 established a target of at least 80 per cent of electricity consumption being met by a diverse mix of renewable sources by 2030. However, having peaked in the 12month period to November 2022 (51.6 per cent), between October 2023 and September 2024, 44.5 per cent of total electricity consumption was generated from renewable sources. When compared with the period between October 2022 and September 2023 (47.4), representing a 6 per cent decrease – the second consecutive annual decrease.
Established in February 2024, DfE’s 80 by 30 Working Group (comprising stakeholders from the Department for
Delivering a sustainable energy system for all
Infrastructure, the Utility Regulator, and the Strategic Investment Board) engaged energy stakeholders to determine options for rapidly increasing the delivery of onshore renewable energy onto the electricity grid, including via the design of an onshore renewable electricity support scheme (RESS).
Subsequently, the Executive’s Programme for Government committed to “publishing a final design of a Renewable Electricity Support Scheme” in 2025.
Simultaneously, in the Energy Strategy Action Plan 2024, DfE was tasked with identifying areas for potential development of offshore renewable energy. Having undertaken engagement with renewable energy stakeholders, the Department agreed to alter the original action.
Following this, a 12-week consultation on Offshore Renewable Energy Action Plan (OREAP): Consultation on the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), the Environmental Report, and Report to Inform Appropriate Assessment (RIAA) ran until the end of May 2025. DfE asserts that the current process “that we are now working through will ensure sustainable development of offshore renewable energy”.
As a key component of a more efficient and decarbonised electricity system, the use of smart metering is recognised as encouraging “consumption patterns that are more aligned with an energy generation mix that increasingly draws on intermittent renewable power sources”.
A public consultation on the design plan for the rollout of smart electricity meters opened in early October 2024 and concluded in mid-January 2025. Responses from the consultation are intended to inform DfE’s plan to roll out smart meters.
Depending on Executive and Infrastructure Committee approval, the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) is also set to publish a new Regional Strategic Planning Policy which is intended to contribute to renewable energy development and therefore the delivery of the 80 per cent by 2030 target.
Renewable energy economy
From 2020 onwards, there has been a significant increase in the low carbon and renewable energy economy (LCREE) turnover from £0.96 billion to an estimated £1.58 billion in 2022, equating to an increase of 65 per cent. On the current trajectory, the green economy or LCREE should double in scale to a turnover of £2 billion by 2030.
However, the increase between 2021 (£1.29 billion) and 2022 (£1.58 billion) is caveated in that “this increase is not statistically significant over this period”, meaning that the observed differences are not sufficient enough to determine that real or meaningful change has occurred (rather than a chance increase).
At the same time, LCREE employment figures have fluctuated significantly between 2015 and 2022. While
the number of full-time equivalents in LCREE employment increased from 4,400 in 2021 (also the 2015 baseline figure) to 5,200 in 2022 (equating to an increase of 18 per cent), again the change is not statistically significant.
GHG emissions
Aligned with the Climate Change Committee’s sixth carbon budget, the Energy Strategy aims to reduce energy-related GHG emissions by 56 per cent by 2030, relative to 1990 levels (18.9 MtCO2e). Energy related sectors, as defined in the Energy Strategy Action Plan Report 2024 include energy supply, business, transport, industrial processes, public buildings, and residential buildings.
From 1990 to 2022, GHG emissions from energy-related sectors decreased by 6.7 MtCO2e to 12.4 MtCO2e, representing a 34 per cent reduction. Between 2021 and 2022, the equivalent reduction was 0.4 MtCO2e or 3 per cent. To meet the 2030 target, GHG emissions must decrease to 8.3 MtCO2e, or a further 33 per cent.
Affordability
Amid the energy crisis, during the three financial years from 2020/2021 to 2022/2023, the average proportion of household weekly income allocated to energy (11.4 per cent) was only 0.2 percentage points less than the three years from 2013/2014 to 2015/2016 (11.6 per cent).
Meanwhile, 3 per cent of total business turnover was allocated to energy purchases in 2022, equating to £3 billion.
For the three consecutive calendar years from 2019 to 2021, an estimated 179,000 households or almost onequarter of total households experienced fuel poverty. This estimate represents an increase of six percentage points when compared with 2018, though the increase is not statistically significant.
A 12-week public consultation on a new Fuel Poverty Strategy for Northern Ireland ran from mid-December 2024 to early March 2025. Responses to the consultation are intended to inform the development of a new Fuel Poverty Energy Efficiency Scheme.
Domestic electricity and gas prices
From 2021 onwards, following the onset of a global energy crisis, energy prices have increased significantly, meaning it is much costlier to heat and power homes, businesses, and public services.
During H1 2024, the domestic electricity price for the medium user was 32 p/kWh, representing a 15 per cent increase from 27.8 p/kWh in 2023 and a 93 per cent increase from 16.6 p/kWh in 2015.
In the same timeframe, the domestic gas price for the medium user was 11 p/kWh. This represents a 12 per cent increase from 9.8 p/kWh in 2023 and a 130 per cent increase from 4.8 p/kWh in 2015.
Lessons from Iberia
An abrupt and widespread power outage, one of Europe’s worst in living memory, affected Spain and Portugal on 28 April 2025. It served as a stark reminder that while we have all been used to our power systems being resilient, no infrastructure is completely infallible, writes Conleth McAteer, Head of System Operations, SONI.
Lights went out across the Iberian Peninsula, mobile networks failed and essential services ground to a halt.
Although the outage lasted only a few hours in most places, the impact was widespread and everyday life was profoundly disrupted. And yet, the catastrophe could have been much worse.
Thanks to the joint work and cooperation of Transmission System Operators (TSOs), developed over years, restoration was achieved within 24 hours from a position of total zero in the electricity system of the Iberian Peninsula
Without support from cross-border connections, the re-energisation of the entire system could have extended to several days.
That is days without power in homes, hospitals, transport systems and critical communications infrastructure. These are not hypothetical concerns; they are realworld scenarios that impact millions.
The European Network of Transmission System Operators (ENTSO-E) has assembled an expert panel to investigate the causes of the Iberian blackout. The blackout is the result of a complex sequence of events for which ENTSO-E will provide a full in-depth report on in the coming weeks.
For those of us in system operation and energy policy, this event offers valuable insight – and an opportunity to reflect and learn from others. It serves as a reminder that, while our energy transition offers huge opportunity to boost our economy and decarbonise our
environment, these changes need to be made carefully and in a balanced way.
Around the globe, electricity grids are under increased strain as the fundamentals of these systems evolve. In the age of social media, system failures attract more attention and scrutiny than ever before.
In the United States, regions like California and Texas have become synonymous with rolling blackouts driven by weather extremes and demand surges.
Like all complex systems, electricity grids are always subject to the risk of experiencing failures. This is a risk that TSOs have always had to manage.
Electricity grids everywhere are undergoing a once-in-a-century transformation. This is the era of the ‘system in transition’ - as conventional fossil-fuel generation gives way to cleaner, renewable sources like wind and solar, the way we manage power flows, ensure reliability and maintain stability is changing dramatically.
At SONI, we are acutely aware of both the challenges and opportunities this transition brings. Northern Ireland has a unique energy landscape. In comparison to other countries, we operate a small but agile island system, interconnected but distinct.
Our smaller size enables us to be responsive to changes, but it also means that everything we do has to be carefully planned and controlled. That is why resilience, foresight and coordination are central to how we run the power system here in Northern Ireland.
We also work in close partnership with our counterparts in EirGrid, the system operator in the Republic of Ireland.
Our collaboration ensures seamless oversight across the entire island, with
From its control centre in Belfast, SONI operates the electricity transmission system for Northern Ireland.
shared infrastructure, real-time monitoring and coordinated contingency planning.
Our expert engineers work 24/7, using world-leading forecasting and monitoring tools to spot anomalies before they become issues. This often enables us to act faster – implementing mitigation measures within minutes, not hours.
While we await the full findings of the ENTSO-E expert panel report, the Iberian blackout underlines several points that SONI has already been prioritising in our planning and operations:
1. The need for more inertia: Traditional generators provide a stabilising force called ‘inertia’ –which actively opposes instability on the system during disturbances. As we transition to a system dominated by a renewables and other inverter based resources, we reduce the synchronous inertia inherent on the system. That’s why we’re investing in technologies and services that can replicate or replace these stabilising forces.
2. Energy storage: Storage is no longer a luxury; it is a necessity. Both short-duration energy storage which can respond quickly to support stability but Northern Ireland must also expand energy storage capability to include Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES) options to smooth variability and further bolster system stability. These technologies also help us manage frequency, especially during periods of high renewable generation.
3. Interconnection: Interconnection and support from neighbouring systems supported the restoration of the Iberian Peninsula. While overreliance on external systems can be risky, SONI advocates for strong, resilient interconnectors, like the upcoming North South Interconnector, but we also plan for contingencies where these links are temporarily unavailable.
4. Adopting best practice: We have recently invested in world-class systems and processes to strengthen our real-time capabilities. From predictive analytics to rapid response protocols, we are embedding international best practice into our operations. Our teams train for worst-case scenarios, to be best prepared to minimise any impact on Northern Ireland in the event of a major fault.
“The events in Iberia remind us that in the energy world, certainty is a scarce commodity.”
Earlier this year, SONI and EirGrid launched our Operational Policy Roadmap 2025–2035, a forward-looking strategy designed to guide the system through the energy transition with security and reliability at its core.
The roadmap outlines how we will evolve system operations to support up to 95 per cent renewable electricity at any given time by 2030 – without compromising stability. These changes must be done in a careful, controlled and balanced way.
Among the key elements are:
• enhanced system services to support frequency, voltage and stability;
• improved forecasting and scheduling tools to better anticipate supplydemand imbalances;
• support for market reforms that incentivise flexible, responsive generation and demand-side solutions; and
• investments in grid infrastructure, including digital upgrades and realtime data platforms.
The events in Iberia remind us that in the energy world, certainty is a scarce commodity. But SONI’s job – our commitment – is to be the trusted advisor Northern Ireland can depend on.
We cannot prevent every fault. No system operator in the world can. But with thorough planning and collaboration we can ensure we are ready, coordinated, and proactive and that our systems are adaptable, our teams are prepared, and our policies are aligned with the evolving energy landscape.
Most importantly, we must continue to earn the trust of the people we serve –by demonstrating that we are not only keeping the lights on today, but also building the resilient, low-carbon grid Northern Ireland will need tomorrow.
By working together with our partners in industry and local communities, we can help to ensure we meet Northern Ireland’s energy needs, today and in the future.
For more information on SONI, the System Operator for Northern Ireland, visit www.soni.ltd.uk
Solutions for a sustainable agriculture industry in Northern Ireland
Green Growth Deputy Director at the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Jonathan McFerran talks about the steps the Northern Ireland agriculture industry is taking to safeguard its future while making environmental improvements and meeting climate targets.
McFerran asserts that, similar to the Republic of Ireland, the agriculture industry is a key sector in the Northern Ireland economy.
Illustrating this, he says Northern Ireland produces enough protein to feed 10 million consumers despite its total population of 1.9 million, adding that the agri-food sector employs 113,000 people. However, he indicates that this level of agricultural activity has resulted in documented “negative impacts on the environment”.
McFerran says Northern Ireland produces almost 10 million tonnes of slurry and has an annual excess of 6,000 tonnes of phosphorus from agricultural sources every year. He explains that this poses risk to waterways and the environment, demonstrated by the findings of the Lough Neagh Report published in July 2024. McFerran says: The RePhokUs report identified that
Delivering a sustainable energy system for all
high nutrient (phosphorus) levels in Northern Ireland waterbodies have three main sources – 62 per cent of the phosphorus inputs are from agriculture, 24 per cent from wastewater treatment works and 12 per cent from septic tanks.
Generational change
Creating a sustainable agriculture industry is one of the priorities set out by the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in the recently published Corporate Plan 2025-2027, along with decarbonisation, and net zero targets. McFerran suggests that biomethane production can be part of the answer to achieving these priorities.
He highlights the importance of the development of a biomethane strategy. This will help to provide direction to companies as they seek to transition from fossil fuel gas to biomethane to meet sustainability standards and climate targets. The Climate Change Committee has identified a role for biomethane production as an enabler for assisting Northern Ireland’s transition to meet targets within the Climate Change Act.
McFerran outlined the draft Green Growth Strategy, currently under consideration and its commitment to reaching net zero targets, make environmental improvements and create green jobs in a “strong circular economy”.
For the agriculture sector, development of anaerobic digestion (AD), biomethane production, and the management of excess nutrients will be central to this. Regulation will also be key, as highlighted in the Lough Neagh report which identifies education, investment, regulation, and enforcement as the four key pillars for action.
Actions
In 2023, DAERA launched a Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) competition under the Sustainable Utilisation of Livestock Slurry Project (SULS) to find solutions to nutrient separation from slurry and digestate. Under phase one, six companies were awarded £100,000 each to investigate proof of concept models with this aim.
In phase two, £12 million will be awarded to three of these companies to progress their concepts. Two
companies have already been awarded contracts, the first of which was County Down-based firm, Blakiston Houston Estate Ltd for their project, Farm2 Export.
McFerran explains that the project removes excess phosphorous in slurry by separating it into liquid and solid fractions using a mobile separator. Liquid slurry created in this process produces less emissions and has better nutrient uptake by crops than unprocessed slurry.
Solids derived from the process are used to produce a suitable feedstock for anaerobic digestion to produce biogas. McFerran explains that the digestate produced by the AD process needs to be processed further and not simply land spread. As part of this project, a biofertiliser plant is needed to convert this nutrient rich digestate into an exportable bio-fertiliser.
Under the second project, the Centre for Competitiveness, leading a conglomerate of companies in Mid-Ulster, aim to construct a 10 MW biorefinery to produce biomethane to be injected directly into the grid. McFerran says they will also process separated livestock slurry through anaerobic digestors and use the resulting digestate to produce biochar to be used in the cement making process and also to capture phosphorous in concrete products, so it can be locked away. He indicates the importance of the location of this project, in terms of helping to manage excess nutrients in the Lough Neagh catchment.
“This will help develop our circular bio economy while reducing nutrients in Lough Neagh and other catchment areas, improving water quality in our rivers, loughs, and lakes,” he claims.
McFerran says the development of a biomethane strategy “will be key to building on the positive start of the Sustainable Utilisation of Livestock Slurry Project, ensuring a holistic and strategic approach is adopted”. The ongoing collaboration between DAERA and other Departments, is a positive step forward in tackling this complex issue.
He says the SULS project is already showing potential for significant positive outcomes: “SULS has the potential to improve our water quality, improve our management of nutrients, support achieving climate targets whilst continuing to support a sustainable agriculture sector.
“This project is an excellent example of green growth in action, and we should grasp the opportunity to expand this approach for the good of the agriculture sector and the environment.”
Calor’s commitment to cleaner energy solutions in rural Northern Ireland
As a leading provider of off-grid energy solutions in Northern Ireland, Calor plays a key role in supporting the region’s transition to lower-carbon alternatives – particularly in rural communities where access to the natural gas grid is limited.
Calor is focused on offering reliable, lower-carbon and renewable liquid gas options to replace traditional highcarbon fuels such as kerosene for home heating and diesel or heavy fuel oil for industrial use.
In Northern Ireland, where energy policy is evolving to support decarbonisation and net zero targets, Calor has taken proactive steps to help off-grid homes and businesses make a cleaner switch. Since 2018, the company has offered BioLPG – a certified renewable gas made from sustainably sourced waste materials and renewable vegetable oils. BioLPG is chemically identical to conventional LPG, meaning it can be blended or substituted without any modifications to existing equipment. This provides a straightforward and flexible way for customers to reduce their carbon footprint, at a pace that suits their individual needs, budgets, and sustainability goals.
Calor’s mission is to drive Ireland’s energy transition and create a sustainable future for generations to come. Calor’s responsible product strategy aims to ensure that the source and supply of its products become increasingly renewable and sustainable to meet future customers’ needs.
By collaborating with other renewable energy companies and integrating multiple renewable technologies such as hybrid heat pumps and solar PV, Calor is helping rural households and businesses across Northern Ireland access more sustainable and resilient energy solutions – without compromising on reliability or performance.
The role of policy in the delivery of sustainable fuels
Calor’s parent company, SHV Energy will continue to increase the share of
biobased and sustainable fuels in its portfolio, by leveraging mature technologies, and building strong and collaborative partnerships – with a focus on BioLPG, rDME, and rLPG.
Choice and affordability are crucial for rural energy homes and businesses located off the natural gas grid and using higher carbon fuels like oil and solid fuels. In Northern Ireland 76 per cent of households are not connected to the main gas grid with 63 per cent of households using heating oil as their main source of heating, 10 per cent using solid fuels – such as coal, and 6 per cent using wood.*
Consumers should be provided with a range of options, including cleaner, lower carbon, and renewable liquid gases, along with improved energy efficiency measures. Calor advocates for the need for parity in Government support for both on grid and off natural gas grid consumers, to assist with the cost of the transition to renewable fuels, as well as the cost of retrofitting.
Calor is committed to enabling a lowercarbon future for rural Northern Ireland. The company is helping to meet today’s energy challenges while preparing for the energy systems of tomorrow.
* Reference: Rural Communities Energy Challenges
Overlooked By Executive — Liquid Gas UK: The trade association for the LPG and biopropane industry in the UK
W: www.calorgas.ie
Delivering a sustainable energy system for all
Renewable electricity generation in Northern Ireland 2024: Second successive decrease
In March 2025, the most recent figures on Electricity Consumption and Renewable Generation in Northern Ireland – covering the calendar year from January to December 2024 – were published by NISRA statisticians within the Department for the Economy’s Analytical Services Unit.
Under the Climate Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, the Executive has a legal obligation to deliver at least 80 per cent renewable electricity generation by 2030.
However, for a second consecutive year, the total renewable electricity generated has fallen from a peak of 51 per cent in 2022 to 45.8 per cent in 2023 and 43.5 per cent in 2024.
There are two main factors at play:
1. the intermittence of renewable energy sources; and
2. the dispatch down of wind turbines and curtailment of solar PV.
Responding to this “dramatic reduction in renewable electricity generation in 2024”, RenewableNI Director Steven Agnew observed:
“With wind being our main source of clean energy – 82 per cent, we can expect weather related variations. However, there is an enduring issue behind the recent trend. We are turning off renewable generation more often due to a lack of grid capacity, in a process known as ‘dispatch down’.
“In levels never before seen, dispatch down averaged 30 per cent in 2024, double what could have reasonably been expected. This was largely driven by increased levels of imports from Scotland across the Moyle Interconnector.”
Suggestions to reverse the downward tend in renewable generation include:
• constructing the second North South Interconnector;
• accelerating the roll-out of long duration energy storage; and
• delivering of the Department for the Economy’s proposed renewable energy support scheme, inverting from a net importer of energy to a net exporter (in alignment with the Programme for Government 2024-2027 ambition).
Key findings for the calendar year from January to December 2024:
• 43.5 per cent of total metered electricity consumption in Northern Ireland was generated from metered indigenous renewable sources, a reduction of 2.3 percentage points when compared with the equivalent calendar year in 2023.
Figure 1: Rolling 12-month average of indigenous renewable electricity generation as a proportion of electricity consumption in Northern Ireland, December 2014 to December 2024 (%)
• A total of 7,272 GWh of electricity was consumed compared with 3,162 GWh of electricity generated from indigenous renewable sources.
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2: Rolling 12-month volumes of total electricity consumption and total indigenous renewable electricity generation, December 2014 to December 2024
(GWh)• 81.7 per cent of all renewable electricity was generated from onshore wind, representing a decrease of 0.7 percentage points in 2023.
Figure
Source: NISRA/Department for the Economy.
Figure 3: Total renewable electricity generation by generation type, January 2024 to December 2024 (%)
Source: NISRA/Department for the Economy.
Celebrating 20 years of growth and promoting the move to a greener future for Northern Ireland
2025 marks a significant milestone for firmus energy networks – 20 years at the heart of energy infrastructure development in Northern Ireland.
In 2005, firmus energy was awarded licences to develop the gas network and supply gas to homes and businesses within the ‘Ten Towns’ area – a network area which arches from Derry in the northwest to Newry in the southeast.
Our company has grown from a new entrant into Northern Ireland’s energy landscape to become a key player in Northern Ireland’s transition to a lower carbon economy. Core to our success
over the last 20 years has been our commitment to safety, innovation, customer service, and environmental stewardship.
Two decades of delivering energy solutions
Over the last 20 years, firmus energy networks has invested significantly in the design, construction and operation of a modern gas network. Our world
class, and much envied, polyethylene (PE) network now extends to 2,200km, passing over 200,000 homes and businesses with 74,000 customers already connected. We are laserfocussed on continuing to grow connections to our network and on bringing the benefits of natural gas, and indeed the potential for renewable gas, to those who are still reliant on more polluting alternatives.
The development of our network infrastructure has not only delivered convenience and efficiency to households and businesses, but it has also materially contributed to lower carbon emissions, and a cleaner environment for everyone in Northern Ireland.
In addition, our network expansion has created hundreds of local jobs, as well as supporting local supply chains. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has played a key role in the development of our network, with significant and ongoing involvement in many communities across our network area. We do not consider CSR a ‘nice to have’ – it has been an integral part of how we have undertaken our business operations for the last 20 years and it is deeply embedded in how we will continue to grow our business over the next 20 years.
A strategic shift with the sale of the retail business in 2024
In 2024, firmus energy made a transformative decision to sell firmus energy Supply (the retail business). This move reflects a strategic realignment and comes at a time when the energy sector locally, nationally, and indeed internationally is evolving rapidly, not least driven by ambitions for a lower carbon future.
Niall Martindale, Chief Executive Officer, firmus energy networks.
By selling the supply arm of our business, which provides retail gas supply to c.110,000 customers across Northern Ireland, we have sharpened our focus on our core strategic ambitions: infrastructure development, network operations and injection of renewable gas into our network.
The ‘firmus energy’ brand will continue on with the retail business, and this company will stay as ‘firmus energy Supply’. We have worked closely with the new owners of firmus energy Supply, stakeholders and the Utility Regulator to ensure a smooth transition and continued quality of service for all customers.
At firmus energy networks, we are currently working on a rebranding project. The launch of our new brand will happen later in 2025, so watch this space!
A lower carbon future with biomethane
As Northern Ireland progresses towards ambitious decarbonisation goals, firmus energy networks is poised and committed to playing an important role in delivering this energy transition. The production and injection of biomethane into Northern Ireland’s gas networks has the potential to make a significant contribution to our region’s energy transition, whilst also supporting the economic vision of the DfE Minister through:
• The creation of ‘good jobs’: Analysis by KPMG suggests the creation of 1,500 jobs for 1.5TWh of biomethane injected into the network.
• Regional balance: The gas operators in Northern Ireland undertook a Request for Information in 2024, which highlighted the potential for biomethane production across Northern Ireland. The following map highlights AD plants in operation or in planning, and for which the total potential for biomethane equates to 3.5TWh, or 90 per cent of Northern Ireland’s industrial and commercial gas demand:
• Productivity: The establishment of a biomethane sector in Northern Ireland has the potential to deliver highly productive investment. At firmus energy networks, we are playing an important part to invest in skills, research and development, and innovation. In 2024, we launched a scholarship programme in conjunction with the Renewable Energy Engineering – BEng (Hons)
AD
“Our values, commitment and drive for improving the energy landscape in Northern Ireland will remain as steadfast as it has been since our inception in 2005..”
course at the Ulster University campus in Derry.
• Reducing carbon emissions: Since the arrival of natural gas to Northern Ireland in 1996, the gas industry has already made a significant difference to the quality of our environment.
The introduction of renewable biomethane into our gas networks will reduce emissions even further and be seamless for current gas customers and their appliances.
Here is to the next 20 years!
Celebrating 20 years in business is something we are very proud of. firmus energy networks has transformed the energy landscape outside greater
Belfast, giving 200,000 homes and businesses immediate access to natural gas.
Our network offers the potential to make an integral contribution to the further decarbonisation of heat in Northern Ireland, with the injection of biomethane.
Core to our success is not just what we have done, but how we have done it.
We might be changing our name and branding later in 2025, but our values, commitment and drive for improving the energy landscape in Northern Ireland will remain as steadfast as it has been since our inception in 2005.
W: www.firmusenergy.co.uk
plants in operation or in planning across Northern Ireland.
Achieving net gain from offshore wind farms
Andrew Edwards-Jones, social science researcher at Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML), tells agendaNi about potential measures that could enable offshore wind developments to improve the environments and habitats they threaten.
Stakeholders representing industry, government, academia, and civil society believe “net gain should be mandated for all offshore wind farm developments”, according to research carried out by PML. It shows that 86 per cent of stakeholders believe marine net gain (MNG) targets should include species within assessments, with participants favouring inclusion of fish, marine mammals, and invertebrates, with less emphasis on birds.
To measure MNG, stakeholders indicated that a new metric for the offshore marine environment should be specifically designed, and an industry levy contribution to a
strategic fund should be created. A terrestrial biodiversity net gain (BNG) metric is currently used in England by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, but “very few” participants favoured this.
Stakeholders also suggested combining the metric and levy “depending on the scale of the net gain required”.
Edwards-Jones asserts: “There needs to be increased understanding of what inputs are needed by organisations expected to meet net gain requirements, with biodiversity, habitat, and modelling data identified as priorities.”
Contextualising the research, he says: “We are in a period of rapid expansion of global offshore wind power with deployment rates set to accelerate as nations attempt to meet net zero targets.”
The UK Government has set a 60GW target for operating capacity by 2030, while the Irish Government has set a 37GW target by 2050. Edwards-Jones asserts: “It is important to understand the impacts of this sector growth on the environment and biodiversity.”
Net gain
He indicates that sector growth threatens the environment and biodiversity, and outlines the
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importance of introducing measures to facilitate net gain in offshore developments. Net gain is “an approach to development that leaves the environment in a better state than before that development started”.
He explains that BNG is where developers are encouraged “to provide an increase in appropriate natural habitat and ecological features over and above that being affected”, and that MNG is the application of BNG in a marine setting.
On the ecosystem services that should be used to estimate environmental net gain impacts and the benefits of offshore wind farms, 100 per cent of stakeholders said fisheries and wild fish stocks were important or very important. It was followed by maintaining nursery habitats (95 per cent), aquaculture (78 per cent), and climate regulation (73 per cent).
Underwater noise was deemed the priority marine pressure for the development of net gain targets, with 82 per cent saying it was important or very important. This was followed by dredging (76 per cent), physical structures (71 per cent), marine litter and debris (71 per cent), and line and net fishing (70 per cent).
For MNG to incentivise active restoration measures, Edwards-Jones says: “Stakeholders prioritised actions to restore or enhance shellfish or mussel beds and invertebrate habitats, as well as actions supporting plankton and restoration of subtidal sediments.
“We are in a period of rapid expansion of global offshore wind power with deployment rates set to accelerate as nations attempt to meet net zero targets.”
“One participant rejected this idea of strategic priorities on the basis that making something different a little better somewhere else is not really mitigation. Rather, they felt that priorities should be set by where the development is and what effects it has in that specific location.”
PML’s research found that 83 per cent are in favour of net gain actions being considered at the decommissioning stage of offshore wind structures. Such actions included, complete removal of all structures, abandonment of structures, partial removal, toppling of all structures, and relocation.
Edwards-Jones adds: “They encourage solutions that best fit site conditions and character, with abandonment of structures also considered positively as an option for biodiversity and environmental benefits.
“There were several views that the best solution depends on the nature of the structure and its location. It was suggested that only complete removal legitimately fits with the net gain concept.”
Outlining how MNG can incentivise strategic interventions, Edwards-Jones says: “As suitable space on the seabed becomes more limited, and competition for space increases, it is anticipated that there will be some offshore areas where infrastructure could be required to co-exist.”
Seaweed farming was found to be the most feasible activity for co-existence with fixed wind farms, with 88 per cent of participants agreeing or strongly agreeing with this assertion. This was followed by mussel farming at 83 per cent, and oyster farming at 77 per cent while trawling was deemed least feasible at 18 per cent.
In contrast, 65 per cent agreed or strongly agreed that trawling was a feasible activity for co-existence for floating wind farms. Line and net fishing was next at 64 per cent, with hydrocarbon/carbon capture devices also at 64 per cent.
Moving forward, Edwards-Jones says that MNG should be considered in several recently launched Irish policies or frameworks including the Maritime Area Consent regime, the National Marine Planning Framework, and future framework for offshore renewable energy. He also notes that there is no national policy or legislation in Ireland on BNG, but points out that it is specifically referenced in the plans of numerous local authorities and national agencies.
Edwards-Jones concludes: “Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) could, much more usefully, declare an aim of achieving BNG. In addition to the mitigation hierarchy, an EIA could propose measures for enhancing ecological values – so above and beyond addressing impacts.”
Storage required to manage renewable oversupply
Northern Ireland has integrated world leading levels of renewable generation onto its grid. To meet emission reduction targets however, significantly more renewable capacity will need to be installed, much more than is required to meet peak electricity demand.
Installing more renewable generation capacity than peak electricity demand will lead to the potential for significant oversupply at periods of high renewable generation output. If not proactively managed, this will result in renewable generators being curtailed to maintain the stability of the grid.
A new Renewable Energy Support Scheme for Northern Ireland, currently under development by the Department for the Economy, is expected to compensate renewable generators for curtailing surplus output. This means that if oversupply is not appropriately managed, generators contracted under the scheme will be paid to not produce electricity at times of high potential production. This would be extremely inefficient and unnecessarily increase costs for Northern Ireland energy consumers.
If not proactively managed, curtailing renewable generation when there is more supply potential than demand could become a major barrier to efficiently delivering the energy transition.
Paddy Larkin, Chief Executive of Mutual Energy, outlines the challenges facing the industry, and how the development of energy storage is key to addressing them.
Without mitigation, the more renewable generation that is connected, the greater the amount of energy that will need to be curtailed.
A means to capture and utilise this wasted energy is urgently required to ensure that spiralling compensation costs do not undermine further renewable investment, or create an unsustainable burden for energy consumers.
Matching renewable supply with demand
Analysis indicates that if installed renewable generation capacity in the Single Electricity Market (SEM) was scaled up so that its potential annual production matched total annual electricity demand, the mismatch in profiles would result in only around 71 per cent of demand being met across a year, see Figure 1.
The electricity system therefore needs a paradigm shift, away from dispatching flexible fossil fuel generation to meet electricity demand to matching electricity consumption to inflexible renewable generation sources. This shift can only
be delivered through development of energy storage solutions that can match up otherwise surplus renewable generation to future electricity requirements.
How will consumers be affected if energy storage is not delivered?
The average metric typically used to measure curtailment levels significantly underestimates the marginal impact of adding the next MW of renewable generation to the system. This is because it smears that impact across the entire installed renewable portfolio. The marginal rate of curtailment is a more accurate measure of the efficacy of adding more renewable generation capacity to the power system.
Figure 2 compares the impacts on average and marginal curtailment (specifically due to oversupply) when increasing installed renewable capacity in the SEM. It shows that the rate of marginal curtailment increases significantly more quickly than the average measure. If installed renewable capacity was set such that its potential total output equalled 100 per cent of
annual demand, the next MW of renewables would experience curtailment, if measured on a marginal basis, of around 69 per cent.
In the absence of increased system flexibility, such as that provided by storage, adding wind and solar generation capacity therefore becomes increasingly inefficient, as for every additional MW added there is less useable renewable generation produced. While adding a different mix of renewable generation technologies could help, because it changes the coincidence of production to demand, the fundamental problem will not go away.
The full electrification of heat demand could make the situation worse
Unlike electrification of transport, which opens up the possibility of dynamic ‘vehicle to grid’ interaction, heat demand is not particularly flexible and has high peak consumption levels relative to average annual requirements. This peak demand tends to occur during cold winter periods. It is therefore negatively correlated to solar production (occurring on days with fewer daylight hours), while there is no strong correlation between cold weather and increased wind speeds. This means that electrifying heat demand is unlikely to help improve the coincidence of renewable generation with electricity demand, and could even make the mismatch worse.
While use of hybrid heat pumps that utilise renewable gases (like biomethane) could help, by allowing electrical heat demand to be at least partially shaped to match renewable output, storage would still be required to ensure consumer requirements are met when sufficient renewable generation is not available.
Next steps
While the analysis is not intended to be perfect, we believe the general trends demonstrated and issues raised are helpful in highlighting the importance of storage in delivering an efficient energy transition. It also raises some important fundamental questions that need to be urgently addressed: Are there sufficient energy storage technologies available to deliver upon our electricity system requirements? What are the costs to energy consumers of implementing these solutions?
It is vital that comprehensive and objective research is conducted in this area so that pragmatic, feasible solutions can be identified and implemented on a timeframe that matches our future rate of investment in intermittent renewable generation technologies.
Figure 1: Coincidence of renewable generation to electricity demand for a sample wind and demand year (2019).
Figure 2: Marginal Dispatch Down vs Average Dispatch Down for a sample wind and demand year (2019).
Great British Energy Bill: Uncertainty remains over Northern Ireland implications
In its report on the Legislative Consent Memorandum for the Great British Energy Bill, the Committee for the Economy has flagged a lack of clarity on the Executive’s role in directing investment in green hydrogen.
The Bill – seeking to establish a new publicly owned energy company, Great British Energy – is a key manifesto commitment of the Starmer government in London. The new organisation is to be tasked with accelerating clean energy deployment and boosting energy independence across the UK. However, questions remain over how the company’s functions will interact with devolved policy levers, especially in Northern Ireland.
The Department for the Economy has indicated support for the Bill following a UK Government amendment to clause five of the Bill, which requires consent from the Department where strategic priorities touch on devolved matters. Northern Ireland’s devolved approach to the consequences of the Bill diverges notably from that taken in Scotland and Wales.
There, the legislation mandates consultation with a range of ministers, acknowledging the cross-cutting nature of energy, environmental, and air quality responsibilities. The more limited scope in the Northern Ireland amendment has raised concerns about oversight and delivery.
Northern Ireland has set the development of renewable hydrogen as a central pillar of its decarbonisation and energy security strategies, with projects like the Belfast Hydrogen Hub and the GenComm initiative aiming to scale production and infrastructure. However, without assurance that the Executive will influence how Great British Energy allocates funding, the Committee has suggested that Northern Ireland’s hydrogen ambitions may be overlooked in favour of more mature markets elsewhere in the UK.
In addition, the Committee has sought urgent clarification from the Department on whether seabed development for renewable projects – an area essential for green hydrogen production via offshore wind – would remain under devolved control following passage of the legislation.
The Department has confirmed that leases and licences would still require approval from Northern Ireland departments, offering a measure of reassurance. However, broader strategic alignment remains uncertain. The Committee has failed to reach a definitive view on the Legislative Consent Motion, meaning that the next steps are unclear for Northern Ireland, especially if the British Government presses ahead with passage of the legislation in Westminster.
Progress on the horizon for Northern Ireland’s renewable sector but now is not
the
time for complacency
It is an exciting time for the renewables sector in Northern Ireland, with some highly anticipated policy progress due to appear on the horizon, writes Steven Agnew, Director of RenewableNI.
Perhaps chief among these is the publication of the final design of a new renewable electricity support scheme from the Department for the Economy, a scheme that once underway, will deliver affordable electricity for local consumers and mark a milestone in our journey to net zero.
As we await sight of the final design, something we hope to see sooner rather than later, we expect the scheme to begin in the second half of 2026. While that is later than many in the sector originally anticipated, the mood remains positive because a scheme like this, one that will derisk investment and show developers that Northern Ireland is open for business, is a big step in the right direction. It has the potential to usher in the next wave of renewables for the whole region, so we have got to get it right.
Elsewhere, in a step that could dismantle prohibitive barriers within our planning
system, we expect to see a revised Strategic Planning Policy Statement (SPPS) from the Department for Infrastructure before long, with a focus on renewable and low carbon energy. This would be a very welcome move because as the situation stands, ambitious projects with the potential to drive Northern Ireland towards its green economy goals can wind up stuck in limbo for years at a time, with planning delays stifling renewable energy deployment. Meaningful change in the planning process could make a world of difference, freeing the sector up to move, sure-footed and at pace, towards the provision of cheaper, cleaner electricity. The existing set-up – which has seen just five new wind farms, totalling 110MW, connected over the past five years – cannot continue.
Another development we expect to make an impact is the outcome of the consultation on the Strategic Environmental Assessment as part of the Offshore Renewable Energy Action Plan which launched earlier this year. It is our firm hope that this piece of work will pave the way for offshore leasing by the end of 2026 and we can begin to reap the benefits. Our Clean Revolution report shows that if 1.5GW of offshore wind were installed by 2032, it could power up to 1.6 million homes, create more than 1,500 highly-skilled jobs and deliver up to 2.4 billion Gross Value Added while also offsetting 49 million tonnes of CO2
Progress in these areas is vital – not least for consumers who stand to see bills fall as renewable energy provision improves –but now is not the time to feel complacent.
We continue to face significant infrastructure and grid challenges, particularly the delay to the North South Interconnector. This needs political intervention on both sides of the border to ensure it is completed at pace, otherwise the ‘80 by 30’ – 80 per cent renewables by 2030 target – is left blowing in the wind. Not to mention its absence is costing us all £55,000 per day on our bills.
The closer we get to the deadline, the more challenging it might seem. But it is not a take it or leave it situation, it is a statutory obligation. We need a wholegovernment approach to meet that commitment and to deliver the incredible benefits it will mean for the economy, the planet, and every one of us.
Steven Agnew is Director at RenewableNI, the voice of the renewable electricity industry in Northern Ireland.
Steven Agnew, Director of RenewableNI.
Navigating Northern Ireland’s energy transition
A colleague of mine often talks about the energy transition by mis-quoting Star Trek’s Montgomery Scott: “Ye cannae change the laws of physics, or even the laws of electrical engineering, but the energy transition changes the dynamics of the electricity system, fundamentally.” Stuart Brand, Vice President Consulting Services, Utility Networks, writes.
The electricity system is undergoing a fundamental shift. It is moving from one based on centralised, dispatchable generation to a more distributed model – one where supply depends on time of day and weather conditions, and where flexibility must increasingly also come from the demand side. This shift is more than a technical engineering challenge. As the Department for the Economy’s (DfE) latest action plans and consultations make clear, the energy transition is also a strategic opportunity. To meet the 2030 target of 80 per cent renewable electricity – and achieve net zero by 2050 – Northern Ireland must reinvent its energy system to be more digital, more flexible, and more citizen-focused.
To maximise the opportunity presented we need to take a holistic view of the energy system. We need to consider more than just the relationship between the energy vectors – electricity, gas,
heat, and hydrogen – we must also consider governance, investment, and the wider societal opportunities generated by the transition. Given the pivotal role the electricity system will play in our future decarbonised world, NIE Networks is uniquely positioned to lead the collaborative effort across the wide range of stakeholders involved.
Whilst the energy transition is a monumental physical engineering challenge, it must also be underpinned by effective digitalisation. The benefits are wide-ranging: improved investment planning, better infrastructure use, and reduced reinforcement needs. AI and machine learning can boost field-force productivity and reduce outages. Consumers can also benefit from flexible demand through smart tariffs and participation in flexibility markets.
Delivering this vision of a democratised energy system, where value is fairly
attributed between system actors and investment aligns with system needs, requires whole-system visibility –underpinned by timely and equitable data access.
As NIE Networks becomes more dataled in its decision-making, the opportunity to optimise across planning, operations, and customer engagement is enormous. Digitalisation is not just an enabler – it is the central nervous system of a clean, democratised energy system.
Digital foundations and system intelligence
NIE Networks’ £2 billion RP7 business plan lays the groundwork, enabling physical upgrades to support decarbonised supply. But, as highlighted in the DfE’s Smart Systems and Flexibility Plan (SSFP),
digitalisation must deliver real-time visibility, smart control, and automation across a two-way grid.
The smart metering programme will enable consumers to benefit from flexible demand and dynamic tariffs. CGI has decades of experience delivering market solutions globally, helping consumers make the most of their energy choices.
A whole-system, peoplecentred approach
The evolving role of NIE Networks –from traditional network operator to active system operator – hinges on the ability to utilise flexible demand. That means clear market access for customer energy resources (CERs), visibility of low-voltage networks through sensors, and real-time decision-support tools. This evolution must happen in close coordination with SONI and the Utility Regulator.
The energy future is not electric-only. Biomethane could decarbonise 80 per cent of current gas demand and boost rural resilience. Northern Ireland’s gas infrastructure is ready for biomethane –and potentially hydrogen – to support industrial decarbonisation and balancing. DfE’s actions to support green gas pathways are already underway, and CGI’s European experience informs how to integrate gas with electricity in a whole-system strategy.
Flexibility as the cornerstone of resilience
As fossil fuel generators retire, new forms of flexibility become essential for resilience – from large-scale batteries and interconnectors to smart EV charging and consumer demand response.
The SSFP outlines how regulatory and operational changes can unlock these services. For NIE Networks, this means orchestrating flexibility through modern control systems, integrated data platforms, and analytics. CGI has supported this transition for clients globally through its digital grid programmes.
Northern Ireland’s compact system and single DSO/TSO structure allow it to move faster than many regions – if capability matches agility. CGI’s broad expertise across operations, flexibility, regulatory systems, and cybersecurity makes it a strong partner for turning strategy into action.
“Ye cannae change the laws of physics… But you can rethink the grid.”
Stuart Brand, Vice President Consulting Services, Utility Networks
The transition is more than just a technical challenge — it is societal. Through their smart meters, consumers will shift from passive users to active participants in the system. The challenge is to ensure an inclusive and just transition – one where those in fuel poverty, rural homes or with accessibility needs are not left behind and that benefits are attributed fairly.
Projects like the Energy One Stop Shop and Community Energy Pathfinder are positive steps. Scaling such initiatives will require robust digital public services and trust. Ensuring inclusivity – for those in fuel poverty or rural areas –must remain a priority.
Transition to transformation
Northern Ireland has the ambition, the strategy, and a strong foundation. What is now needed is precise execution – in data, in delivery, and in collaboration.
The ultimate success of the transition may be measured by how seamless it feels. If people continue to enjoy reliable power and improved services, many will not even realise they have lived through one of the biggest infrastructure transformations in a century – or that it laid the groundwork for meeting climate targets.
Contact: W: www.cgi.com/ni
Stuart Brand, Vice President Consulting Services, Utility Networks
Integrating solar PV into the grid
Georgios Tzounas, Assistant Professor at University College Dublin (UCD), outlines the modelling, simulation, and control challenges that arise when solar PV is installed in a power system that was not originally designed for it.
“We are moving into a phase where we need to understand power systems not just as static infrastructure, but as dynamic, evolving systems, and solar PV is a major contributor to that change,” Tzounas says.
While solar PV brings the benefit of clean, decentralised generation, it also introduces significant variability and uncertainty. “The primary energy source, solar radiation, is highly volatile, and that has consequences for system stability, especially in the short-term dynamic range we focus on,” he explains.
This critical time window, ranging from seconds to milliseconds after a disturbance, is where foundational stability mechanisms such as frequency and voltage control take place.
Challenges
One of the key challenges Tzounas points to is the impact of cloud cover on solar irradiance. “A cloud event can lead to a 60 per cent drop in irradiance within a minute. That is not a theoretical risk; it is been observed in real data. These are fast dynamics, and they matter a lot if you are trying to keep the system stable.”
Such rapid changes in solar generation create abrupt shifts in power flow, which can trigger control responses or even cascade into larger system disturbances if not properly managed. The challenge, Tzounas asserts, is that these dynamics are not wellrepresented in many standard power system models.
“Most of our models were developed
for systems where generation was centralised and predictable. They do not account for the kind of stochasticity we see in solar PV.” He argues that modelling tools must be adapted to reflect the real-world behaviour of solar assets, especially at high levels of penetration.
Another complexity introduced by solar PV is the sheer number of small-scale generation units such as rooftop panels, small commercial installations, and community-scale arrays all feeding into the distribution network. “You now have hundreds of thousands of devices, many of them operating with limited visibility to the grid operator, and often with proprietary or unknown control systems,” he says.
This proliferation of devices introduces what Tzounas calls “granularity” to the
Delivering
“If we do not rethink some of our engineering foundations, we may find that the system behaves in ways we do not anticipate or cannot control.”
system. “It is not just more generation, it is more potential points of interaction, more data, more control complexity.”
In response, some system operators are moving toward distributed aggregation models, where clusters of solar PV and other distributed energy resources (DERs) are treated as a single controllable entity. “That helps from a management perspective, but it introduces new questions around coordination, timing, and how those aggregated resources respond dynamically to changes in the grid,” Tzounas says.
Simulations
Even with improved models, effective simulation is far from guaranteed. “Defining a model and solving it numerically are two different things,” Tzounas explains. He points out that many commercial simulation tools rely on numerical methods that may not be stable or accurate when applied to solardominated systems.
“Systems with delays, fast switching events, or high levels of stochastic input like solar PV are challenging to simulate correctly. The numerical methods themselves can introduce errors or instabilities. So the simulation may run, but it may not be trustworthy.”
This is especially concerning for scenarios where solar PV is expected to provide critical grid services such as frequency regulation or voltage support. “If your simulation does not reflect the real behaviour of the system, you cannot trust your control design,” he adds.
Control
Unlike traditional generators, solar PV systems are interfaced through power electronics, and their contribution to the grid is entirely defined by their control algorithms. “They do not have physical inertia. Their behaviour is software-defined. That gives us flexibility, but also responsibility,” Tzounas says.
He notes that some current control strategies attempt to make solar inverters behave like synchronous machines. “That is understandable; it is a known benchmark. But we should not assume it is the best solution. The control possibilities are broader, and probably more effective if we rethink them from first principles.”
For example, conventional schemes tie active power to frequency control and reactive power to voltage control. That works in large transmission systems, but breaks down at the distribution level where solar PV is typically installed. “There, the relationship between voltage and active power is stronger, and you cannot rely on the same assumptions. We may need to control both frequency and voltage through a combination of signals and power flows.”
A 2024 study by Tzounas and researchers from EirGrid and UCD suggests that hybrid control schemes, using both active and reactive power to regulate both variables, can deliver better performance. “It is not just a matter of better performance, it may be necessary to avoid oscillations and instability, especially as more solar PV comes online,” he says.
Concluding, the UCD assistant professor states that the integration of solar PV is “not plug-and-play”. “It requires a revaluation of how we model, simulate, and control power systems especially in the face of growing renewable targets.
“The complexity is increasing. The traditional tools are being pushed beyond their limits. If we do not rethink some of our engineering foundations, we may find that the system behaves in ways we do not anticipate or cannot control.”
Building bridges: Innovating to keep the lights on
The Centre for Advanced Sustainable Energy (CASE), set up by Invest NI, has been instrumental in helping Northern Ireland’s industry and policy makers to innovate. It also facilitates the development of strategies and pathways to a future where indigenous energy production can deliver energy security, while improving the environment, and enabling more sustainable use of native resources.
CASE was originally established as a competence centre to support innovation in sustainable energy led by industry demand, bridging the gap between academic research excellence and industry need, whilst supporting and underpinning the government policy decision making process. CASE is a partnership between Queen’s University Belfast, Ulster University, and AFBI which has been at the forefront of addressing Northern Ireland’s renewable energy, decarbonisation, and circular economy challenge. It supports the development of new products and services while increasing productivity and competitiveness.
CASE has developed extensive expertise in the circular bioeconomy and a portfolio of research that has highlighted the potential of biomethane to the broader Northern Ireland Economy. Supported scientific research has shown the potential of anaerobic digestion (AD) using native organic nutrient resources to displace fossil gas from the gas network which creates local prosperity and cuts expensive importation of fossil fuels. Additionally, CASE work has
shown the potential to greatly reduce both nutrient and ammonia pollution through processing animal wastes via AD as well as permanently capturing atmospheric carbon dioxide through processing digestate from AD into biochar. This opens up opportunities to provide soil conditioners, biofertilisers, and low carbon cement and concrete products.
Key to success of these approaches has been the demonstration that these benefits can be achieved economically, supporting the agri-food sector and rural communities while also allowing the decarbonisation of other industries such as construction, transportation, and manufacturing.
While CASE’s original mission focused primarily on developing new energy technologies, its work has evolved to reflect the broader priorities of sustainability, circular economy thinking, and integrated regional development.
By connecting Northern Ireland’s energy, manufacturing, and agriculture sectors, innovative low-carbon products and services can be created while reducing
emissions from existing industries and delivering community dividends.
This ongoing work has identified a number of priority areas for consideration:
Turning excess nutrients into value: Many by-products across Northern Ireland remain undervalued and underused yet they hold real potential to be transformed into valuable inputs for new industries. Animal slurry, food waste, and other agricultural residues, for instance, can be converted into biomethane through AD. Waste heat from industry can be captured to power district heating systems, excess nutrients can be repurposed into biobased fertilisers, and captured CO2 can be used to produce synthetic fuels or enhance crop growth in vertical farms. Systems thinking and co-location: Producing green fuels and low-carbon products has traditionally been more expensive than fossil-fuel alternatives. However, by designing systems that colocate complementary activities – such as waste processing, fuel production, and heat use – many of these costs can
Ian Marshall, Head of Business Development and Policy Centre for Advanced Sustainable Energy (CASE).
be reduced. A joined-up, systems-based approach enables businesses to share resources, reduce inefficiencies, and lower production costs. In some cases, this can make low-carbon goods and fuels cost-competitive without the need for ongoing subsidy.
A practical approach to carbon capture for Northern Ireland: Unlike some larger countries, Northern Ireland does not have many major single-point sources of carbon emissions. Instead, emissions come from a large number of smaller, dispersed sources, making traditional carbon capture and storage approaches – such as transporting CO2 to offshore geological formations –economically unviable. Instead, new approaches that capture CO2 for use in local industries could both offset capture costs and potentially create new revenue streams. For instance, CO2 could be mineralised using local basalt rock or combined with nutrient-rich materials to create fertilisers, supporting carbon sequestration in soil.
Delivering social, environmental and economic benefits together: A circular, systems-based model for decarbonisation in Northern Ireland can be designed to achieve multiple
objectives at once – environmental, social, and financial. For example:
• waste heat from industrial sites or power generation could be used to run district heating networks, helping to reduce fuel poverty and cut household energy bills; and
• recovering nutrients from agricultural waste to make tailored fertilisers could significantly reduce water pollution, helping to tackle the algal blooms challenges in Lough Neagh.
At CASE, this understanding has led to the development of a practical model for green industrial hubs across Northern Ireland. These hubs build on local strengths and infrastructure to create financially viable, low-carbon industries without the need for long-term public subsidy. Each hub is shaped by its unique local context – resources, markets, and existing industries – and designed to integrate energy, carbon, and material flows. For example, a hub near a port may focus on producing marine e-fuels while also providing heat for nearby housing or civic buildings.
This approach offers a route to inclusive, localised growth that supports net zero targets, creates high-value jobs, and strengthens resilience while also
enhancing environmental quality and reducing the cost of living.
Progress towards a healthier and sustainable society and economy has never been more vital. At a time of geopolitical uncertainty and increasingly stressed environment, Northern Ireland must build on our success in utilising its own resources to transform to a more self-sufficient, and energy secure economy.
CASE continues to evolve to best meet the needs of Northern Ireland’s industry, government, and wider society. We have had great success and look forward to continuing being instrumental in providing the science and rationale behind innovations and policy choices that need to be made for a future prosperous and sustainable region, turning challenges into opportunities.
Ian Marshall Head of Business Development and Policy
Centre for Advanced Sustainable Energy (CASE)
Queens University Belfast W: www.case-research.net
Green Industrial Hub
Energy commitments in Programme for Government 2024-2027
With a total of 22 mentions, energy permeates the Executive’s Programme for Government (PfG) for 2024-2027, Our Plan: Doing What Matters Most.
Under the ‘grow a globally competitive and sustainable economy’ priority areas (one of a total of nine), which the Executive commits to “work to” throughout its remaining mandate, the PfG outlines several energy-related ambitions.
Having outlined a “move to decarbonise our economy and become self-sufficient in affordable renewable energy”, by the end of its mandate in 2027, the Executive commits to increasing renewable electricity capacity to 40 per cent.
Meanwhile, in 2025, the Executive says it will publish the final design of a renewable electricity support scheme (RESS) to underpin the delivery of at least 80 per cent renewable electricity by 2030 as per Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022.
Under the ‘decarbonisation’ subhead, the Executive reiterates its commitment to “seek to” achieve self-sufficiency in clean and affordable energy. This hinges on using natural resources (including wind, biomethane, and geothermal) to “break the link with global energy prices” and, ambitiously, become a net exporter of renewable energy.
If successful, delivery would mean the decarbonisation of the energy system in tandem with wider economic growth.
The Energy Strategy, the PfG states, is “continuing to create the right market conditions” to unlock investment in a low carbon and renewable energy economy (LCREE) balanced against consumer protection from cost shocks and ensuring a just transition.
Among local businesses the Executive commits to reducing energy bills through the £15 million-Energy and Resource Efficiency Support Scheme, while allocating a further £75 million to the Invest to Save Fund to decarbonise the public sector.
Climate action
While having not included ‘climate’ among its nine priorities, the Executive commits to publishing a Climate Action Plan as a framework to deliver the legal obligation of at least 80 per of electricity consumption from renewable sources by 2030.
Among other benefits, this decarbonisation is anticipated to unlock enhanced energy independence which,
allied to better-insulated homes – which should lower energy bills for consumers.
Planet
Under the ‘planet’ mission (one of three in the 98-page document, the others being ‘people’ and ‘prosperity’), the PfG commits to reviewing the Energy Strategy in 2025, to emphasise a “renewed focus on affordable renewable energy” and ensure that it is updated with data and insights for the five years to 2030.
With regard to a just transition, the document commits to an “all of government approach” to developing and implementing a plan to unlock benefits for communities via a “community energy innovation project”.
Finally, the Executive states that a change to Electricity Grid Connection Charging policy will be delivered, thereby traversing a barrier to the connection of renewable energy and low-carbon technologies, such as EV charging, to the grid.
Northern Ireland Energy Forum 2025
Wednesday 12 November • Titanic Belfast
The Northern Ireland Energy Forum, now in its 24th year, has firmly established itself as the annual conference for Northern Ireland’s energy sector and is a not-to-be missed event for anyone with an interest in the local energy industry.
Key features of the 2025 Forum include:
Update from energy regulator
In-depth examination of key policy issues
Overview of Northern Ireland’s major energy projects
Attended by all the key players in the Northern Ireland energy sector Major networking opportunities
Sponsorship opportunities available
There are still a number of sponsorship and exhibition opportunities available. This is an excellent way for organisations to raise their profile with a key audience of senior decision makers from across Northern Ireland’s energy sector. For further information on the packages remaining and speaking opportunities at the event call Owen McQuade on +44 (0)28 9261 9933 or email owen.mcquade@agendani.com.
Education Minister Paul Givan MLA: Empowering children to thrive
As Education Minister for Northern Ireland, I am committed to reshaping our education system into one that is world-leading, equitable, and inclusive, writes Minister Paul Givan MLA.
Education is the foundation of a thriving, prosperous, and inclusive society, equipping young people with the knowledge, skills, and opportunities to succeed in a rapidly evolving global landscape.
However, our system faces significant challenges: underfunding, rising demand for Special Educational Needs provision, and a curriculum that has not kept pace with international
developments. International assessments show that our education system has not kept pace with the world’s best. Industrial action and structural debates have for too long diverted focus from what matters most: what children learn, how they learn, and for what purpose. There is an urgent need for renewal and reform.
It is my aspiration to ensure that every child regardless of background,
identity, ability, or need is seen, valued, supported, and empowered to thrive.
That aspiration may be ambitious, but it is one that I am certain can be achieved with the right expertise, the right framework for delivery, and above all the sustained effort and commitment of the people that we need to turn the aspiration into the reality.
My vision for education is a modern, forward-looking education system, scaffolded by a sustainable funding model, guided by robust evidence and evaluation, and informed by learning from international best practice.
Since I took on the role of Education Minister, I have begun the process of moving our education system towards that vision.
Over the past year, I have looked beyond Northern Ireland to engage and learn from world-leading education systems to shape my priorities. The global evidence is clear. An effective education system is marked by wider coherence, alignment, and investment in curriculum, assessment, qualifications, accountability, and professional development.
These are the building blocks of a world-leading education system that equips every child, regardless of background, with the knowledge, skills, and opportunities to thrive in an everchanging world.
In March 2025, I launched the TransformED Strategy for Educational Excellence which is centred on those five critical areas.
TransformED is the most systematic programme of educational reform in over a generation, designed to learn from the world’s best-performing education systems and to address the specific needs of Northern Ireland. At its core are excellence, equity, and inclusion.
TransformED marks a generational shift in our approach. It moves away from short-term fixes and structural arguments, focusing instead on core classroom priorities.
TransformED is a vision of a future education system that can compete with the best in the world.
The TransformED Delivery Plan, published in April 2025 translates provides a detailed roadmap, specifying actions, delivery partners, timelines, and costs to ensure accountability
It is a plan for landmark curriculum reform. A plan that places unprecedented emphasis on investing in high-quality professional learning. A plan that challenges us to harness the capabilities of new technology like artificial intelligence to be part of the solution to the problems inherited from
“When we get education right, we unlock opportunities for every child, we close the gaps of disadvantage and we build a prosperous, inclusive, and united future.”
Minister of Education, Paul Givan MLA
the past and prepare us for the future needs of our children and young people, our society, and our economy.
For too long, we have been caught in debates about structures and systems, relying on the extraordinary talent of our educators to deliver results despite outdated frameworks and limited support. TransformED is a decisive break with that past.
No strategy to transform education, no matter how ambitious, can succeed without the expertise, passion, and leadership of our school leaders and teachers. I believe my plans for reform have the potential to not only help support our teachers, but to reinvigorate that passion for teaching that led them to choose their vocation.
Great teaching transforms lives. I can testify to that from my own school experience as many others can, but I have also seen evidence of that from across the world. Research consistently shows that teacher quality is the single most important in-school factor in shaping our children’s outcomes. That’s why I am rolling our professional development on the science of learning to all post-primary schools and have committed £27 million over the next three years to establish a Teacher Professional Learning Fund to support teachers to access cutting-edge, evidence-based training that enhances practice and empowers change where it matters most; in our classrooms.
Through other initiatives like the Making Best Practice, Common Practice Programme, we are already seeing the tangible benefits of this approach.
The reform of Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision is key to
delivering an education system that ensures children and young people with SEN can benefit from greater inclusion and receive the right support, from the right people, at the right time, and in the right place.
In February 2025 I published my SEN Reform Agenda and five-year Delivery Plan. Developed in conjunction with parents, practitioners and academics, this sets out the most ambitious programme of reform for SEN in a generation.
The £20 million RAISE programme, funded through the Shared Island Initiative, will tackle educational disadvantage head-on, raising attainment in communities that need it most.
Plans to legislate for all young people to remain in education or training until age 18 will keep more of our young people engaged and equipped for the future.
Transformation will take time and will require sustained funding; but I am fully committed to driving forward this agenda and realising the aspirations that I believe we can achieve together.
It is a once-in-generation opportunity to build an education system that prepares our young people for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.
When we get education right, we unlock opportunities for every child, we close the gaps of disadvantage and we build a prosperous, inclusive, and united future. That is where I want Northern Ireland to be, and I believe that I have set in motion the actions we need to get us there.
The opportunities of integrated education
As the newly appointed Chief Executive of the Integrated Education Fund (IEF), I am delighted to have the opportunity to take the organisation forward in what is an exciting yet challenging time for integrated education, writes Paul Caskey, Chief Executive of the IEF.
Having dedicated almost 24 years of my career to helping integrated education grow and develop, I am very aware of barriers and obstacles facing its work but also the many opportunities.
At the start of 2025, we were dismayed by the Minister of Education’s decision to refuse integrated status for Bangor Academy and Sixth Form College and Rathmore Primary School, as well as proposals from Bridge and Spires Integrated Primary Schools regarding nursery school provision. Despite this
disappointing news, we were pleased that three nursery schools were approved to become integrated through the transformation process – Magherafelt NS, Ballymena NS, and Downshire NS. These nursery schools will bring the number of integrated schools to 76 in September 2025, educating over 28,000 pupils.
The IEF remains extremely concerned that the Minister of Education rejected the democratic wishes of the overwhelming majority of parents at the
two Bangor schools. The Minister’s decision “would not be in line with the Department’s duty to encourage and facilitate integrated education particularly when this is considered to be a sustainable school which is seeking to transform”. These are not the words of integrated education campaigners, but the area planning and policy team of the Department of Education itself.
In reaching this flawed decision, the Minister has clearly rejected, not only the desire of the school community but also the advice of his own officials, the Education Authority, Controlled Schools Support Council (CSSC), and the Council for Integrated Education (NICIE). It is hard to comprehend how such decisions reflect the Department of Education’s statutory duty to ‘support, encourage, and facilitate’ integrated education.
We deeply appreciate the time, energy, and commitment both schools, parents and the wider communities have already dedicated to the transformation process.
Pupils at Cairnshill Primary School celebrating after hearing the news that the Department of Education has approved their development proposal to transform to integrated status.
We do not want any of this hard work to be lost going forward and the IEF will continue to support the schools to help them consider next steps and future actions.
Over the winter months, you may have noticed our Northern Ireland-wide advertising campaign, narrated by our great friend and supporter Liam Neeson and funded through a private donor. This campaign was a huge success, with 62 per cent of the adult population in Northern Ireland having seen the TV advert and nearly 136,000 viewing the advert in the cinema. The outdoor campaign covered 60 per cent of Northern Ireland, the radio advert reached 67 per cent of the population and on social media, the campaign had a reach of over 880,000. We want to thank Cranmore Integrated Primary School and Hazelwood Integrated College for kindly allowing us to film the advert in their schools. The campaign has been extremely successful in raising awareness of integrated education.
On 12 March 2025 the IEF was invited to present to the Northern Ireland Assembly Education Committee alongside our colleagues in the NICIE. Following the IEF and NICIE, the Integrated AlumNI were also able to share their perspective and experiences. Questions asked during the session gave us the opportunity to explain how integrated education is much more than simply having a mixed intake of students and how it is intentional integration that permeates across the entire school in policy and practice. Integrated education involves celebrating differences, it impacts on the way a school approaches teaching many subjects (for example RE, history, and even PE) and it is core to governance and the ethos within a school.
In March 2025, LucidTalk revealed the results of their 2025 Northern Irelandwide attitudinal poll on education. 65 per cent of respondents agreed that integrated education should be the main model for our education system in Northern Ireland. The results demonstrated that the high level of support for integrated education from the people of Northern Ireland remains steadfast and strong.
The IEF is pleased to have seen a lot of progress in research over the past months. At the start of April 2025, the Future Schools Toolkit for Post-Primary was published. This Toolkit, which was developed by the School of Education in Ulster University and commissioned by
the IEF, was made possible by a grant provided by the Northern Ireland Office (NIO). The Toolkit is designed to help and support local school communities to assess the sustainability of current school provision and to assess whether there may be an alternative model of provision that is more sustainable.
Integrated schools continue to thrive and offer excellent education to young people across Northern Ireland. We were delighted to celebrate with the school community of Phoenix IPS in Cookstown as they revealed their new school building and reflected on the school’s 20-year journey.
Secretary of State Hilary Benn MP had a very special visit to Mill Strand IPS in Portrush where he met pupils, staff and founding parents on what was the 27th anniversary of the signing of the Belfast Good Friday Agreement. Reflecting on the visit, he said: “This Government is unapologetic in its support for more integrated education in Northern Ireland so that children from different backgrounds can learn together, better understand one another and become friends.”
The Secretary of State was given a tour of Mill Strand IPS’s new school building.
Both Phoenix IPS and Mills Strand IPS’s new buildings were funded by the Fresh Start Agreement, which is part of the UK Government’s commitment to deliver new capital funding to support shared and integrated education.
The IEF continues to support the growth and development of integrated education. Our goal is to make integrated education available to every parent who chooses it for their child.
Forestview Purdy’s Lane Belfast, BT8 7AR
T: 028 9069 4099
E: info@ief.org.uk
W: www.ief.org.uk
Pupil at Mallusk Integrated Primary School.
New education strategy launched
In March 2025, the Department of Education published TransformED NI: A Strategy for Educational Excellence in Northern Ireland, setting out its framework for reform across the education system.
The strategy responds directly to the 2023 Independent Review of Education and reflects a selection of accepted recommendations through its stated policy goals and priorities.
The strategy outlines a series of actions to be pursued over the current Assembly mandate and beyond, structured around five key areas: curriculum reform, assessment and qualifications, teacher professional development, school leadership, and tackling educational disadvantage. These are positioned in response to structural pressures on the system and a documented need for a more coherent, evidence-informed approach to policy.
A number of the Independent Review’s key recommendations were accepted by the Department at the time, and most have been incorporated into the TransformED strategy. These include commitments to raise the age of participation in education, carry out major curriculum reform, invest in early years provision, improve SEN support, and address educational disadvantage.
“In this strategy for transforming teaching and learning, I set out an ambitious reform programme to deliver educational excellence in Northern Ireland.”
Paul Givan MLA, Minister of Education
For example, a review on curriculum reform, a central component of the strategy, is ongoing, with a statutory curriculum framework due by autumn 2026. Similarly, the commitment to raise the age of education participation to 18 is confirmed as a legislative intention, subject to further policy development.
The strategy acknowledges the growing role of early years education in reducing outcome disparities and states that it will align with the forthcoming Executive’s early learning and childcare strategy, due to be published later in 2025.
SEN transformation is integrated across multiple reform strands but is led operationally through a separate SEN Reform Delivery Plan. Actions to combat disadvantage are visible throughout the document, including targeted efforts to close attainment gaps and increase access to highquality learning experiences.
Proposals recommended in the review but not part of the new strategy include reform of the transition process to postprimary education and the establishment of a single education department. Proposals to reconfigure the school network are acknowledged in principle but are not accompanied by specific delivery actions.
In total, of the nine recommendations accepted or endorsed by the Department, seven are either directly incorporated into the strategy or referenced as complementary policy strands.
Policy pillars
The TransformED NI strategy is structured around five policy pillars, intended to drive system improvement:
1. Curriculum reform: A review of the Northern Ireland Curriculum was commissioned in 2024, with final recommendations expected in mid2025. A new curriculum taskforce will lead the development of the statutory curriculum framework. The Department’s stated intention is to introduce a more “coherent, knowledge-rich” curriculum that aligns with international benchmarks and local policy aims.
2. Assessment and qualifications: The strategy highlights the lack of standardised data at primary and lower secondary levels and proposes to reform assessment and performance monitoring. Vocational qualifications and performance measures are also under review, with an emphasis on improving public understanding and alignment with progression pathways.
3. Teacher professional learning: A revised ‘Learning Leaders’ strategy is scheduled for publication in 2026, with a focus on structured professional development and improved induction. A dedicated fund of £27 million over three years will support school-level training, with a new procurement framework being introduced. A separate education
research function will be established by 2027 to support the evidence base for policy and practice.
4. School leadership: A revised qualification for headship will be introduced from the 2026/27 academic year, alongside new professional development programmes for experienced principals and middle leaders. These initiatives aim to address gaps in leadership preparation and succession planning across the school system.
5. Tackling disadvantage: The strategy identifies tackling socioeconomic disparities in attainment as a core objective. This includes raising the performance of Free School Mealeligible pupils, expanding early years access, and integrating inclusive practices into professional development and curriculum design.
Governance and implementation
Delivery of the strategy will be overseen by a newly established TransformED Programme Board. This group will be chaired by a senior Departmental official and include representation from key delivery bodies including the Education Authority (EA), CCEA, CCMS, the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI), and Higher Education Institutions.
Progress will be reported through an annual progress report, with the first due in May 2026. Oversight will also be informed by inspection evidence and independent evaluation. Advisory input is to be provided by an international ministerial advisory panel and an academic panel, both established to support implementation.
Delivery plan
The TransformED NI Delivery Plan, published in April 2025, outlines the actions required to implement the strategy’s core elements. The plan includes timelines, estimated costs, delivery partners, and performance indicators across more than 20 reform areas.
Workforce and learning investment
A monitoring framework for teacher supply and demand will be implemented by the 2026/27 academic year. Financial incentives for shortage subject areas including maths, science, and technology is to be introduced, with an annual budget of £1.5 million. A revised core content framework for initial teacher education is due for consultation by the end of 2025.
Teacher induction will become a statutory requirement, with expanded content phased in over three years beginning in September 2025. The programme is costed at £1 million annually.
A centrally administered teacher professional learning fund will allocate £27 million between 2025 and 2028, beginning with an initial outlay of £7 million in year one. Guidance and a procurement framework will be developed in partnership with the EA.
Curriculum
Development of the new statutory curriculum framework is budgeted at £2.4 million. Implementation costs will be scoped during the design phase. Proposals to reform key stage assessments and qualifications are included, although specific legislative timelines are not provided.
The Department is also reviewing the scope and usage of vocational qualifications in schools. This will inform revisions to performance reporting and curriculum options post-16.
Innovation
A new headship qualification has been allocated £1.25 million in funding over three years. Programmes for current school leaders and middle managers will be developed for rollout in 2026/27. A leadership newsletter is scheduled to be distributed monthly starting from September 2025 at a cost of £30,000 per annum.
A pilot initiative for collaborative professional learning clusters is set to be launched in 2025/26 with £500,000 in allocated funding. Additional pilots, including subject-specific learning communities and an online Science of Learning programme, are scheduled to proceed during the same period.
Evaluation and research
A new education research function will be established by 2027, with operating costs estimated at £2 million per year. This unit will be co-located with NISRA and supported by a steering group drawn from the Department, EA, Higher Education Institutions, and other partners. Evaluation of all major initiatives will be carried out by ETI or independent providers.
Minister of Education Paul Givan MLA says: “In this strategy for transforming teaching and learning, I set out an ambitious reform programme to deliver educational excellence in Northern Ireland.
“My vision for education in 2032 is for a modern, forward-looking education system, scaffolded by a sustainable funding model, guided by robust evidence and evaluation, and informed by learning from international best practice. It is an education system which is truly life transforming, which breaks down barriers and narrows inequalities, allowing every young person to achieve their full potential and in which every child has the chance to make the most of their abilities and become the best version of themselves.
“To achieve this new vision for educational excellence will require a partnership of many: school leaders, teachers, governors, parents, businesses, and others. It will require us to lead change together. We need to renew and redouble our work across our education system, delivering evidence-informed policies supported by high-quality and cost-effective services.”
Building a skilled future: Tackling construction’s workforce challenge
According to the latest Construction Skills Network Labour Market Intelligence Report (2024–2028), Northern Ireland’s construction sector is forecast to grow by 2.8 per cent annually, requiring an additional 5,200 workers by 2028. Meeting this demand will require a sector-wide commitment to recruitment, training, and retention.
CITB NI is responding by supporting key training initiatives that upskill the current workforce and prepare new entrants for the evolving demands of the industry. These initiatives also aim to promote diversity and encourage long-term, rewarding careers in construction.
To tackle the sector’s image problem and ageing workforce, CITB NI is focusing on early engagement with young people, educators, and career influencers. Our Build Your Career programme promotes careers in construction and the built environment through targeted outreach to students, teachers, and parents. A dedicated web portal offers up-to-date information on courses, career pathways, case studies, and research.
The Adopt a School Programme connects local construction companies with post-primary schools across Northern Ireland, delivering careers talks, work experience opportunities, events, and site visits that bring the industry to life.
With major infrastructure projects and net zero goals on the horizon, Northern Ireland’s construction sector is facing a growing skills gap and an ageing workforce. CITB NI is addressing this through a clear strategy focused on workforce development, industry promotion, and encouraging new entrants to consider a career within the built environment sector.
Hands-on engagement remains central to this effort. Through partnerships with local training providers, employers, and W5, CITB NI hosts practical careers events and Bootcamps for pupils in years 10 to 14 at our own training premises at Nutts Corner and external venues.
Beyond early outreach, CITB NI supports longer-term career pathways through the bursary scheme for first-year undergraduate students pursuing construction-related degrees, as well as providing financial support to employers for apprentices. Over the past eight years, more than 1,200 apprentices have been supported through CITB NI’s apprenticeship grant programme.
A recent partnership with NIACRO highlights CITB NI’s inclusive approach. Together, we have developed initiatives to help individuals transition from the justice system into the construction workforce, strengthening social inclusion while addressing labour shortages. This collaboration has also tested innovative virtual and augmented reality tools to promote construction careers in new, engaging ways.
CITB NI continues to spotlight talent through our annual SkillBuild NI Regional Competition, which showcases the excellence of local training and education providers. With categories ranging from brickwork to wall and floor
tiling, the event not only highlights professionalism and craft but also gives school pupils a valuable opportunity to see the industry in action.
As demands on infrastructure and the built environment continue to rise, especially with the drive for energy efficiency and net zero targets, collaborative action is essential. CITB NI is committed to working with contractors, training providers, and professional and trade bodies to ensure better alignment across the industry and deliver practical, future-focused skills solutions.
To learn more about CITB NI’s programmes, strategic partnerships, and upcoming initiatives:
W: www.citbni.org.uk
CITB NI 17 Dundrod Road
Crumlin BT29 4SR
Barry Neilson, Director, CITB NI
Education 4.0: AI and the future of education
Mairéad Pratschke, Professor and SALC Chair in Digital Education at the University of Manchester, examines the transformative potential of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) in educational settings, and outlines the four key phases of AI adoption.
As AI becomes an essential tool in industry, Pratschke argues for GAI literacy within educational institutions to ensure that both educators and students are adequately prepared for the future of work.
Pratschke divides the GAI literacy journey into distinct stages of user maturity, providing a roadmap for professional development and applications of GAI. These stages are not linear but overlapping and will not apply in all cases, but, they provide examples of GAI use in education.
The first stage of adoption, where GAI is primarily used to generate content, has already begun. AI tools are being employed to generate summaries of texts and to interact with content; and to assist with administrative tasks.
AI can be used as an assistive technology, to enhance accessibility, help students with learning challenges and disabilities, such as
speech-to-text transcription and assisting students with visual impairments. Importantly, AI can promote inclusivity, providing support for neurodivergent students and those with different learning needs, helping them access and engage with content in more accessible ways.
In the second stage, as users become more competent, they collaborate actively with the technology, creating their own AI tools and defining how they behave. Pratschke highlights the potential for such tools for active learning, where AI takes on the role of creative collaborator and working alongside students and educators in the learning process. Pratschke has conceptualised this design approach as ‘generativism’, which refers to the collaboration between humans and GAI, as well as to generative learning theory. For example, GAI chatbots can now be used to assist students in research, take on the role of tutor, or as a partner in ideation
The third stage in AI use involves the development of what Pratschke describes as “intelligent communities”, where humans and AI systems work together in teams or communities of humans and AI experts. In education, this could mean that AI takes on roles such as a peer, mentor, or guide, helping learners navigate complex subject matter, or as a co-researcher or co-instructor that supports and works alongside academics. Pratschke emphasises that GAI tools can take on multiple roles within the classroom, ranging from tutor to facilitator to coinstructor. For instance, AI can simulate real-world scenarios, offering students opportunities to practice difficult conversations, such as interviews or negotiations.
This capability, she says, is particularly beneficial for skill-based training, such as language learning, public speaking, or conflict resolution. By using GAI tools in varied roles, educational institutions can leverage its capabilities to offer richer, more varied learning experiences that would be difficult to achieve with traditional methods alone.
AI as a collaborative learning partner
In the education sector, the transition from using AI to simply generate content to using it as a learning partner is becoming increasingly important, as the educator moves from being a passive consumer of GAI output to an active collaborator and designer of the tool itself. Pratschke notes that early experiments have shown that when AI is used as a co-instructor in classrooms, it can – when properly designed – enhance student engagement and improve learning outcomes. Similarly, the use of GAI tools for student support have also been shown to increase student satisfaction, by providing 24hour support and answering questions.
AI has the potential to facilitate a more personalised approach to learning that tailors educational content to a student’s pace and needs. Using data analytics, the technology can identify gaps in knowledge and provide adaptive content targeted to address these gaps, which allows for a level of 1:1 help would be difficult for an instructor in a traditional classroom setup to achieve.
This approach aligns with the growing emphasis on lifelong learning, as it allows learners to progress at their own speed, ensuring that education is not just one-sizefits-all but rather responsive to individual needs.
Preparing educators for AI in the classroom
On ensuring AI literacy among educators, Pratschke states that, as AI technologies continue to evolve, the workforce must develop the skills necessary to interact effectively with AI systems. She argues that AI literacy
should be a core component of teacher training, and that educators must not only learn how to use AI tools, but also understand how AI models work and how to teach students to collaborate with the technology. This includes teaching students how to use AI ethically, how to interact with it in productive ways, and how to critically evaluate AI-generated content.
Some predict that the role of the teacher will change as AI becomes more prevalent in the classroom. Teachers will no longer be the sole source of knowledge, but rather facilitators of learning, helping students navigate the vast resources available through AI and guiding them in using it responsibly and creatively. This is the model of education that Pratschke describes as the “new hybrid”.
Concluding, Pratschke reiterates that AI presents both challenges and opportunities for the Irish education sector. While AI has the potential to support student learning, she says that it also requires careful integration into educational practices.
Pratschke urges policymakers, educators, and industry leaders to collaborate in preparing the next generation of learners for a future where AI is a central part of everyday life. By fostering AI literacy, investing in professional development for educators, and with the careful design of tools for use in intelligent communities, she says that Ireland can lead the way in ensuring that AI serves as a tool for empowerment of educators, rather than the automation of education.
Reforming special educational needs
The Special Educational Needs (SEN) Reform Agenda: Delivery Plan 2025-2030, published in February 2025, outlines enabling actions aiming to address inequality in education for children with SEN, a lack of confidence in the existing system, the changing profile of the pupil population, and unsustainable SEN investment.
The Agenda asserts that these issues make reform “urgent and essential”. Regarding inequality, it notes that some children with SEN receive notification of their school placement much later than their peers without SEN, while the education of some is impacted due to a lack of resources.
On the lack of confidence in the system it states: “The system is often described by many parents and practitioners as broken – expert analysis and independent reviews largely agree.”
The Agenda asserts that the Schools Estate is struggling to keep pace with the changing profile of the pupil population. The number of students with SEN or a disability hit 68,240 in 2023/24, up by 29 per cent from 2004/05, while the number of pupils with a statement of SEN rose by 134 per cent.
On the unsustainable investment in SEN, the Independent Review of Education, published in December 2023, said projections of the Department of Education’s (DoE) finances “indicate an impending financial crisis for both education and the Northern Ireland Executive”.
The Delivery Plan, estimated to cost £570 million, states that children with SEN “will receive the right support, from the right people, at the right time, and in
the right place”. It outlines enabling actions to achieve this:
Right support
• implement a child-centred graduated response framework;
• build a coherent and targeted approach to early intervention;
• implement child-centred local IMPACT teams;
• reset the statutory assessment and annual review process and support model; and
• support access to the Northern Ireland curriculum for children with SEN.
Right people
• implement an inclusive child-centred integrated workforce planning framework;
• expand the reach of the Middletown Centre for Autism in developing neuro-affirming practice across the system;
• trial an inclusive child-centred inclusion capacity building programme; and
• invest in classroom assistants, teachers, and healthcare professionals.
Right time
• implement a data dashboard for children with SEN;
• deliver pilot early childhood intervention programmes;
• deliver a pilot speech, language, and communications intervention toolkit and programme;
• implement an early intervention programme; and
• implement a transitional support programme.
Right place
• address challenges in special schools and enhance their role in supporting inclusion;
• improve the approach to planning for a changing pupil profile; and
• publish an SEN capital investment programme.
Education Minister Paul Givan MLA says: “SEN transformation is a key priority for the Executive. It is an investment not only for education but for our society and delivering on the agenda will require sustained funding. I am committed to driving forward this agenda during this mandate.”
Construction Futures: Bridging industry and education
The construction industry plays a vital role in shaping Northern Ireland’s economy, contributing to essential infrastructure, housing, and commercial development.
All key areas that our government has pledged to focus on in the next 10 to 15 years. But as skill shortages loom and technology reshapes the built environment, deepening the link between education and industry has never been more important. Launched in 2024, Construction Futures is an industry-led initiative by the Construction Employers Federation in partnership with Unite and GMB trade unions.
The platform connects the education sector with the construction industry, supporting individuals in navigating career opportunities within Northern Ireland’s construction sector. It offers practical resources and guidance, including industry focused careers advice, company updates, financial support, events and educational initiatives, all in one place.
To strengthen the link between industry and education, Construction Futures offers a growing suite of tools and programmes:
• Social channels: Offering up to date industry insight and guidance to help individuals take the leap from education into a rewarding career in Northern Ireland’s construction
industry. Explore more at linktr.ee/constructionfuturesni
• Website: A one-stop portal is currently in development to provide access and signpost to Northern Ireland’s construction and built environment sectors. It will include relevant course information, industry opportunities, and support greater collaboration between the construction and education sectors.
• Programmes: Targeted initiatives are being developed in response to the needs of both education and industry:
o Open Doors, coordinated by Construction Futures in March, gave students and teachers across Northern Ireland a rare chance to visit live construction sites, offices, and factories, and meet professionals from across the industry. In its pilot year, the initiative hosted 35 events in partnership with 15 companies across 19 locations, with plans to expand next year. Construction Futures’ support not only strengthened links between educators and industry, but also
enabled new employers to get involved, whilst enhancing the experience for those already familiar with outreach activities.
o At primary level, our newest pilot initiative, STEMStruct, delivered in partnership with Sentinus, introduces construction and STEM concepts to 10–11-yearolds through hands-on learning and role play. Pupils take on roles such as architect, engineer, builder, and sustainability manager to design future ready towns and homes. The programme also creates a valuable opportunity for industry to engage more directly with the education sector, helping to improve perceptions of the sector while supporting companies in meeting their CSR responsibilities.
Construction Futures is helping to bridge the gap between education and the construction industry, opening doors, shifting perceptions, and preparing a new generation to build Northern Ireland’s future.
E: info@constructionfuturesni.com
W: www.constructionfuturesni.com
S: linktr.ee/constructionfuturesni
Students and teachers from Regent House Grammar and St Joseph’s College joined the Belfast Lord Mayor, along with representatives from Ganson and Construction Futures, for an Open Doors visit to the Hamilton Dock Hotel site in March.
Disparity in SEN provision in Irish-medium education
Pupils in Irish-medium education (IM) are significantly more likely to have special educational needs (SEN) than their peers in English-medium (EM) settings, but face systemic barriers to receiving appropriate support, according to a report published by Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta (CnG).
The report, published in late 2024, highlights a continued shortfall in provision for pupils with SEN in IM across Northern Ireland. The document identifies a higher incidence of SEN among pupils in the IM sector than in EM settings yet outlines that appropriate support structures remain inadequate.
According to data from the Department of Education for the 2023/2024 academic year, 22.5 per cent of pupils in IM settings are recorded as having SEN. This compares to 19.1 per cent in EM settings. At post-primary level, the discrepancy is more pronounced. While 30.1 per cent of IM pupils are identified with SEN, the equivalent figure for the EM sector is 18.2 per cent.
Despite the higher incidence of need, only 4 per cent of IM pupils have received a formal statement of special educational needs. This contrasts with a rate of 7.6 per cent in EM schools. The report argues that this disparity is partly due to the lack of assessment tools available as Gaeilge and the absence of bilingual specialist personnel within statutory support services.
The report forms part of a wider body of work linked to the SEND Transformation Programme, initiated by the Education Authority in 2021. However, the authors state that IM settings have been excluded from significant developments under the programme, with no tailored provision made for pupils learning through Irish.
IM schools also face physical infrastructure challenges. Many operate in temporary or outdated accommodation that does not meet the needs of pupils with physical or complex learning requirements. Only one IM school outside of Belfast is located in a purpose-built facility. Schools also report a lack of SEN classroom assistants and difficulties in securing supply cover, which affects the ability of staff to access professional development.
One-third of IM schools are located in the most deprived areas of Northern Ireland. Consequently, 34 per cent of IM pupils are entitled to free school meals, compared to just over 27 per cent in the EM sector. Research indicates that deprivation is closely linked to a higher incidence of additional educational needs.
Structural and legislative gaps
The legislative framework surrounding SEN provision in Northern Ireland remains in flux. The 2016 SEN Act has only been partially implemented. The new SEN Regulations and Code of Practice remain in draft form, awaiting formal ratification. Although legislation from 1998 contains a brief mention of the Irish language in the context of assessment, the report concludes that current laws do not provide adequate protection or resources for IM pupils.
While the Department of Education has a statutory obligation to encourage and facilitate IM education, the report notes that this has not translated into meaningful policy regarding SEN services. Responses to public consultations by IM schools and sectoral bodies have not been reflected in subsequent drafts of SEN legislation.
Challenges in practice
A range of operational challenges are outlined in the report. Assessment remains a key area of concern. Pupils in IM schools are frequently assessed in English, even though the language of instruction during the early years of schooling is exclusively Irish. In many cases, pupils are not assessed until Primary 4, after they have begun formal English instruction. This inhibits early identification and intervention, which is widely acknowledged to be critical in addressing learning difficulties effectively.
The absence of assessment tools in Irish was first raised in a 1999 Education and Training Inspectorate report and has been repeated in subsequent departmental reviews. A 2012 feasibility study commissioned by the Department of Education recommended against the development of new tools, citing costs and standardisation challenges. The CnG report contests that conclusion and argues for the development of appropriate diagnostic tools for use by both educational psychologists and school staff.
In addition to assessment limitations, the report points to insufficient staffing and resources. There are no dedicated Irishspeaking educational psychologists employed by the Education Authority. Support services for speech and language, literacy, and behavioural needs are typically delivered in English. While a small number of staff are Irish-speaking, there is no formal structure to ensure linguistic alignment between pupils and specialist professionals.
Recommendations
The report makes a series of recommendations. These include the recruitment of Irish-speaking educational psychologists and allied health professionals, the creation of linguistically appropriate assessment tools, and the inclusion of IM staff in the Education Authority’s new local-integrated support teams.
It also proposes that collaborative work be undertaken on an all-island basis to share resources and expertise. The report cites progress made in Wales and Scotland, where immersion education is supported by bilingual assessment and intervention tools, albeit with room for further improvement.
Although the IM sector continues to grow, with primary enrolments rising by 43 per cent and post-primary enrolments by 123 per cent over the last decade, the support structures have not kept pace. Without targeted action, the report concludes that IM pupils with special educational needs will continue to be disadvantaged within the education system.
Committee meeting
Ahead of a meeting of the Assembly’s Education Committee on 15 May 2025, agendaNi understands that officials from the
4
Department of Education were instructed to withdraw part of a departmental briefing paper after it made critical claims about the governance of CnG, the arm’s length body for Irish-medium education.
CnG Chief Executive Maria Thomasson had been due to appear before the Committee to discuss ongoing challenges in Irish-medium education and cited staff retention and educating pupils with SEN as among the top priorities for her organisation.
Responding to a question from the Committee’s deputy chair, Pat Sheehan MLA, Thomasson expressed disappointment at the report’s tone and content, noting that while governance challenges did exist, they were historic and had been acknowledged and addressed transparently.
“We were very disappointed when I read that report,” Thomasson told the Committee. “There are many challenges... that was a historic problem. What I would say is that we have an improvement plan. It is being implemented, and we are tackling those challenges as best we can.”
The document, submitted in advance of the committee session, cited the absence of a current risk register and delays in financial reporting. agendaNi understands that the claims prompted strong criticism within the Department itself, and that CnG raised this directly with the Department’s new interim Permanent Secretary, Ronnie Armour. The section in question was reportedly withdrawn on the instruction of senior civil servants just days ahead of the Committee meeting.
Despite its removal, the original briefing had already been circulated to committee members, Sheehan questioned officials during the public
session, leading to a departmental claim that the material had been included in error and pertained to a separate report. However, this explanation has been met with scepticism by sectoral stakeholders, who view the incident as indicative of deeper tensions between the Department and CnG.
While the sector currently serves almost 1,000 pupils across over 80 settings ranging from naíscoileanna (preschools) to post-primary units, it receives only limited additional funding, approximately £120 per pupil annually. Around 60 per cent of schools operate from non-permanent buildings, a significantly higher proportion than their English medium counterparts.
The Department of Education has established a working group which aims to publish a formal strategy on Irish Medium Education before the end of the Executive’s term in 2027. The CnG Chief Executive told the committee that this process should be accelerated.
While the Education Minister has made public overtures to the sector, including school visits, the recently published TransformED strategy document contains no reference to Irish medium education.
A Department of Education spokesperson tells agendaNi: “The Department regularly engages with arms-length bodies on governance issues.
“The final briefing to the Education Committee reflected the Department’s view that appropriate governance arrangements are in place at Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta.”
What is a controlled school? A new era of support for Northern Ireland’s largest education sector
Mark Baker, Chief Executive of the Controlled Schools’ Support Council (CSSC), outlines the key recommendations for Northern Ireland’s largest education sector.
When you hear the term ‘controlled school’, what comes to mind? Many people misunderstand the sector, despite it being Northern Ireland’s largest, representing 49 per cent of all schools and serving almost 150,000 children across diverse communities.
Controlled schools include nursery, special, primary, secondary, grammar, integrated, and Irish-medium schools and are the only sector managed by the Education Authority (EA), creating a unique challenge.
Every day, the EA faces the complex task of delivering universal services to all schools whilst simultaneously fulfilling its
specific managing authority role for controlled schools, which leads to competing priorities in its work.
The Independent Review of Education highlighted the ‘suboptimal arrangements’ for controlled schools. To create more effective managing arrangements, a Ministerial Taskforce has recommended a two-phase approach:
• Short to medium term: Create a Controlled Schools Unit (CSU) within EA by September 2025 –coordinating key services for more
proactive, relational support and collaborating closely with CSSC.
• Long term: Establish a dedicated managing authority for controlled schools – requiring legislation.
There is also a need to clarify how the sector presents itself and is perceived by the wider public. The nondenominational Christian ethos, which underpins the sector, is one that is inclusive. Controlled schools are schools for the whole community, serving pupils from all backgrounds.
Since its inception, CSSC has consistently advocated on behalf of controlled schools, representing their interests, raising concerns, and celebrating excellence in the controlled sector. We are optimistic that action is now being taken to address longstanding challenges and to create an equitable system where every child has access to high-quality education. The establishment of the CSU this September will be a significant and welcome step forward.
W: www.csscni.org.uk
Mark Baker, Chief Executive of the Controlled Schools’ Support Council.
Northern Ireland’s leading social media conference
Thursday 11 September 2025
Titanic Belfast
Now in its 11th year, the Social Media Belfast Conference is firmly established as Northern Ireland’s leading social media event. Bringing together over 200 attendees, the conference will look at trends and case studies in 2025 and beyond.
Social media has become a vital part of many organisations and is an area that continues to evolve at pace. A strong social presence can grow your brand, engage key stakeholders, and drive website traffic. This conference is an important opportunity to reflect on your social media journey to date, what direction you should be going and how to get there.
As well as being significant in terms of social media expertise and case studies, #SMBelfast has developed a strong networking dimension. It has become an event where the key communications and social media players meet for a day of networking and discussion.
Join us to discuss...
• Principles of LinkedIn marketing
• AI and social media
• The importance of video in social media
• Effectively optimising ROI
• Successful social media campaigns
• Practical advice and tips
• Local and visiting case studies
Catrin Elis Senior Content Editor Visit Wales
Sheena McCaugherty Senior Global Social Media Manager SumUp
Matt Stevenson Owner Infinite Vision
Becky Atkinson Communications and Social Media Officer, British Medical Association, Northern Ireland
There are 20 live consultations currently open* across Executive departments. agendaNi summarises these, along with closing dates for submissions and contact details should any readers wish to contribute to policymaking process.
Department for Infrastructure
The Carneyhaugh Business Park, Newry (Abandonment) Order (NI) 2025
Department of Education Budget 2025-26 Equality Impact Assessment
Contact: debudgeteqia@education-ni.gov.uk Closes: 3 July 2025
16-18 Legislation
N/A Closes: 3 July 2025
Changing School Numbers
Contact: changingschoolnumbers@education-ni.gov.uk Closes: 23 June 2025
Accounting for Children with a Statement of Special Educational Needs: Changing the ‘Supernumerary’ Status
Contact: supernumeraryconsultation@education-ni.gov.uk Closes: 26 June 2025
Strengthening Inspection Legislation
Contact: SITde@education-ni.gov.uk Closes: 10 July 2025
Closes:
public affairs agenda
Parties respond to Aontú bill
A new bill introduced in the Houses of the Oireachtas aims to allow Irish citizens living in Northern Ireland to vote in Irish presidential elections.
Launching the Bill, formally entitled the 39th Amendment of the Constitution (Voting Rights in Presidential Elections) Bill 2025, Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín TD said: “The Good Friday Agreement confirmed that people born in the North of Ireland have a right to be an Irish citizen,” adding “currently nearly 700,000 people in the North of Ireland have exercised that right, are Irish citizens and hold an Irish passport”.
Noting that Irish citizens in Northern Ireland have a “right to stand in the
election”, he added that “the Irish State refuses them the right to vote”. Tóibín said neither Westminster nor Stormont have the power to grant this right to Irish citizens. He added: “It is in the gift of the people of this state and the Dáil,” he said. “It is this government that is preventing the full Irish nation voting as one for the first time since 1918.”
“The fact that the Irish Government are withholding democratic rights from 700,000 Irish people in the North is shocking. It is anti-democratic.
Opinion polls show that the vast majority of Irish people in the south of Ireland favour a referendum on a United Ireland.
“In the North there is growing support for a referendum even amongst many within the unionist population. The southern government is out of step with the Irish people. This Bill does not even go as far as a referendum but facilitates a real and practical step towards democratic selfdetermination.”
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To vote in the presidential election, you must be an Irish citizen and normally reside in the Republic, with exceptions for Defence Forces personnel and diplomatic staff serving overseas. Changing the criteria for voting in the presidential election would necessitate an amendment to the Irish constitution which would require a referendum. The next presidential election is due to take place by November 2025.
In many countries – including European countries such as France and Poland – citizens of the state who are not resident in the jurisdiction, can still vote in presidential elections.
Assembly motion
On foot of Aontú’s announcement, Sinn Féin tabled a nonbinding motion in the Assembly in early-May 2025 calling for Irish citizens in Northern Ireland to be entitled to vote in presidential elections in the Republic. The motion was carried with a majority of 46 to 25 with SDLP and Sinn Féin representatives voting in favour, along with 13 of 17 Alliance MLAs, and People Before Profit’s Gerry Carroll MLA.
In the motion, Sinn Féin referenced the 2013 Fifth Report of the Convention on the Constitution of Ireland which recommended affording Irish citizens residing outside of the Republic the right to vote in presidential elections.
First Minister Michelle O’Neill MLA, says: “It is a glaring anomaly that an Irish citizen living in the North can stand for election as President of Ireland, can be elected as President of Ireland but cannot vote to elect the President of Ireland.
“The office of the President of Ireland is held in the highest regard and respect in Ireland, among the Irish diaspora and across the world. That regard and respect has a particular significance and immediacy for Irish citizens in the North
who have historically been denied participation in the life of their own nation by the historic and undemocratic injustice of partition.”
During the Stormont debate on 6 May 2025, DUP MLA Phillip Brett said: “The House and, indeed, those watching on television should be in no doubt that today’s debate is about the fact that Aontú outsmarted, outmanoeuvred and out-greened Sinn Féin, which is using the debate as an echo chamber to cover up the failings of its republican movement.
“We on these benches have huge respect for anyone who wishes to identify as Irish here in Northern Ireland, but it is clear that the Irish Government have absolutely zero interest in advancing the issue. The recently agreed Programme for Government by the parties in the Republic of Ireland makes no mention of it; they are not interested. More importantly, those who live in the Republic of Ireland have absolutely no interest in the issue either.”
SDLP Leader of the Opposition Matthew O’Toole MLA welcomed the fact that Sinn Féin members tabled the motion, adding: “This place, Northern Ireland, is part of the island of Ireland. One of the developments that we have seen somewhat uncomfortably in the past little while is a new definition. Occasionally, it has felt as though the primary and senior meaning of the word “Ireland” is the state rather than the island.
“For those of us who live in this part of Ireland and want to participate not just in the broader Irish nation but in politics on a cross-border and all-island way, it is time that we had the opportunity to vote in presidential elections.”
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald TD said Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD must “honour the commitment” made at the Constitutional Convention and “set the date for the referendum”. She added: “The Assembly’s vote must be a watershed moment. The Government must now act with urgency. November’s election must be the last Presidential Election that excludes Irish citizens in the North.”
‘A Scots Irish hillbilly at heart’
Although Donald Trump is half-British, he is the first US President in many years to have no Irish ancestry. His Vice President JD Vance, however, is of Ulster Scots heritage; a heritage which is shared by at least one-third of former occupants of the White House.
“To understand me, you must understand that I am a Scots Irish hillbilly at heart,” is how Vice President of the United States, James David (JD) Vance, rationalised his conservatism in 2016.
In the US, the terms Scots Irish, Scotch Irish, and Ulster Scots are used interchangeably to relate to people who left Scotland, settled as part of the Ulster Plantation, and then moved on to North America.
The term ‘hillbilly’ has its origins from Ulster Scots immigrants in Appalachia, combining ‘hill’ for their mountain settlements and ‘Billy’, a reference to supporters of King William III, commonly referred to as ‘King Billy’ or ‘William of Orange’. The term came to describe rural, self-reliant Scots Irish descendants living in the American highlands.
One-third of former US presidents claim Ulster Scots heritage, including both Bush presidents (who have ancestors from County Derry), Richard Nixon (County Antrim), and Bill Clinton (County Fermanagh).
Indeed, names to have graced the title of President of the United States include common Ulster surnames as Jackson, Johnson, McKinley, and Wilson.
Who is JD Vance?
Vance made his name in politics in 2016 by referring to his now-boss, Donald Trump, as either a “cynical asshole like [Richard] Nixon” or “America’s Hitler”. Vance, who has ancestry from counties Antrim and Down, has subsequently metamorphosed into one of the most pro-Trump members of the Republican Party.
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A convert to Catholicism, Vance rose to fame following the publication of his book, Hillbilly Elegy, in which he describes his impoverished upbringing in the state of Kentucky.
Vance, a former military journalist in the US Marine Corps and Yale-educated venture capitalist, recollects his “blue collar” upbringing in Ohio, where via the Appalachian region of the United States, his Scots Irish ancestors settled over three centuries ago.
Vance has cited his Ulster Scots heritage and culture as being core to his conservative values. In Hillbilly Elegy, he writes: “Their family structures, religion and politics, and social lives all remain unchanged compared to the wholesale abandonment of tradition [that has] occurred nearly everywhere else.
“This distinctive embrace of cultural tradition comes along with many good traits – an intense sense of loyalty, a fierce dedication to family and country – but also many bad ones.
“We do not like outsiders or people who are different from us, whether the difference lies in how they look, how they act, or, most important, how they talk. To understand me, you must understand that I am a Scots Irish hillbilly at heart.”
Vance, whose wife is Indian, has been utilised by Trump as an attack dog, first during the campaign and subsequently for the administration. His debate performance against Democratic Party Vice Presidential nominee Tim Walz was widely acclaimed, and then he subsequently launched his infamous attack against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a visit to the White House to discuss his nation’s ongoing war.
Notably, one week after this incident, the Vice President warmly received Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD on the week prior to St Patrick’s Day, hosting Martin at the Naval Observatory before a notable gesture whereby he wore shamrock socks in the Oval Office when the Taoiseach was hosted by Trump.
Trump’s government and Ireland
Although the Taoiseach had warm remarks for both Vance and Trump – offering to show Vance around the English Market in Cork city – the US administration subsequently launched a proverbial grenade at the Irish Government by hosting MMA star and convicted criminal Conor McGregor – who is attempting to establish himself as a far-right presidential candidate in the Republic – on St Patrick’s Day.
The Trump administration has so far demonstrated little to no interest in Northern Ireland. Michelle O’Neill MLA and Mary Lou McDonald TD both boycotted the St Patrick’s Day visit over Trump’s support for the ongoing Israeli siege of Gaza – which the International Criminal Court has stated could plausibly be a genocide.
When asked by reporters in the White House about the absence of Sinn Féin, the SDLP and Alliance for the Washington visit, Trump said: “What are they boycotting? I really don’t know anything about that.”
While deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly MLA travelled on behalf of the Executive and the DUP, the only meeting she was granted with the US President was a 10-second-long stop to take a selfie.
These remarks and actions, alongside the fact that the position of US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland has remained vacant since Trump took office, shows that, although his Vice President has very real links to Ulster, Northern Ireland not even remotely on the radar of the administration in the United States.
TRADE UNION DESK
Wise law can make good jobs
John O’Farrell from the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) welcomes the Executive’s Employment Rights Bill and gives an overview of the changes this should herald for workers in Northern Ireland.
On 28 April 2025, Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald MLA outlined to the Assembly her department’s proposals for a new Northern Ireland Economy Bill. The ‘Good Jobs’ legislation follows a public consultation carried out last year which sought views on potential updates to employment law. It is several years since the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly has had any input into employment law, despite uniquely holding such devolved powers.
The last major update of workplace rights and duties was in 2016, when Alliance’s Steven Farry was minister at the old
Department of Employment and Learning. In the decade since, changes have been made to employment law in Britain in response to the changing facts of working lives.
The consultation process completed last summer contains 31 proposals. Of these, 19 will simply bring Northern Ireland into line with Great Britain. They are largely uncontroversial and do not pose any significant cost or administrative burden on businesses here. Most were passed by Conservative governments at Westminster.
The remaining 12 proposals are currently under active consideration by the Labour government and ensure that working people in Northern Ireland are not allowed to be left behind again. The (GB) Employment Rights Bill is at an advanced stage of becoming legislation and will be in statute within a year. The only political opposition is coming from some trade unions who wish it were more ambitious, and the five MPs from Reform who claim to be the ‘voice of British workers’. Also opposed is the present leader of the Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch MP, who described the Bill as “back to the bad old days of the 1970s”. Badenoch was born in 1980.
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In fact, much of what is proposed is not radical; it is basic, long-overdue modernisation to bring Northern Ireland’s employment rights up to the standards of most evolved economies. For example, the recognition of the essential role that trade unions play in representing workers. Acknowledging that unions not only have a place at the table but also make a meaningful, constructive contribution is a positive development.
The ‘costs’ are balanced by the gains. As Simon Deakin, Professor of Law at Cambridge says: “Our research shows that on average, strengthening employment laws in this country in the last 50 years has had pro-employment effects,” adding, “the consensus on the economic impacts of labour laws is that, far from being harmful to growth, they contribute positively to productivity. Labour laws also help ensure that growth is more inclusive and that gains are distributed more widely across society.”
The proposed new rights ought to include:
• Where a union member requests the support of their union on an employmentrelated matter, their union representative should have an automatic right to access the workplace
• Statutory recognition: 21-minimum employee threshold should be removed, allowing more enterprises to be covered by the statutory recognition rights.
• We also proposed greater protections from unfair dismissal for union reps as frequently they are targeted by employers seeking to resist unions
• Ban ‘fire and rehire’: Unions ought to engage in genuine consultation with employers to seek alternative solutions to both ‘fire and rehire’ and redundancies.
• Collective bargaining: Department for the Economy can increase collective bargaining coverage and of facilitating the exercise of the right to constructive, meaningful and informed negotiations on wages and other terms and conditions of employment between the social partners, on an equal footing.
• Zero-hours contracts are legal in Northern Ireland, and there are no specific laws prohibiting their use.
• Employment status: Northern Ireland maintains distinct employment categories: employees, workers, and the genuinely self-employed. Each category offers different rights and protections.
• Day one rights: As of now, certain employment rights in Northern Ireland require a qualifying period: A two-year qualifying period for unfair dismissal; a right to request flexible working only after six months.
• Carer’s leave, there is currently no statutory entitlement to paid carer’s leave. The Carer’s Leave Act 2023, which provides a legal entitlement to five days’ unpaid carer’s leave per year for employees in England, Scotland, and Wales, does not apply in Northern Ireland.
These changes will improve the daily facts of every job in Northern Ireland. The next stage is for the Executive to endorse the policy proposals and allow them to proceed to the Assembly as an Executive Bill.
Then after drafting, the Northern Ireland Assembly can debate and scrutinise the Bill in the chamber and at committee stage before finally becoming law by the end of this mandate in spring 2027. The process of this legislation will be a lasting achievement for our 90 MLAs. They should grasp this opportunity.
What is
done about Stormont? public affairs agenda
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At present, we have a crisis about the health service and a related crisis about social care. We have another about the lack of sewerage and water supply infrastructure, writes economist and author Paul Gosling.
And then we have the failures and weaknesses in parts of our education and skills systems. Far too many teenagers drop out early from school, leaving without the skills needed for good careers. Many become long-term unemployed or economically inactive.
Meanwhile, one-third of our school leavers who go to university are forced to move elsewhere as we do not have enough undergraduate places. And this leaves our employers desperate for both graduates and workers with high level vocational skills. Our economy, productivity, and collective wealth all suffer.
To make matters worse, the shortage of affordable childcare places means that many parents – especially mothers – who have highly valued skills are unable to work. Other carers are prevented from working because of the gaps in social care coverage.
It is enough to make you despair. And that is exactly what I felt after working within Stormont for two years as a political advisor. Every effort at making improvements felt like an enormous boulder being pushed uphill, which came toppling down whenever you took a breath.
The single thing that shocked me most was that more than a quarter of a century after the Good Friday Agreement, there were still attitudes that felt like straightforward sectarianism. Decisions were taken simply for the good of one community, irrespective of what would benefit the majority across society.
Proposals that seemed obvious common sense were blocked because they were perceived as benefiting one community more than another.
How, then, to make progress? The basis of the Good Friday Agreement was a sharing of decision-making, which in practice means a mutual veto on decisions that do not have crosscommunity agreement. (For which, read agreement between the two main parties.)
That mechanism was a good way of ending conflict, but it has not led to good government. In fact, for 40 per cent of the time since the GFA, it has not led to any type of government. It is a process that has prevented a range of contentious –but desperately needed – decisions.
On health and social care reform; water charges; expanding integrated education; ending academic selection; a bill of rights; developing Long Kesh; increasing university places; recognising the Irish language; and – perhaps above all –charging citizens enough to raise the funds needed to match Stormont’s ambitions, comparable to those levied in England.
If this were a political charge sheet, I would unequivocally convict our political system, if not necessarily the politicians themselves. They are (to an extent) trying to make a structure work that inherently allows most contentious decisions to be blocked and also allows ministers to operate personal or communal fiefdoms that operate independently of what is best for Northern Ireland.
Seven years ago, and then again in a second edition five years ago, I examined the arguments for Irish unity as a way of escaping this political and structural quagmire. In a new book, I consider the extent to which progress has been made in either reforming Stormont or preparing
for how Irish unity could be achieved. In my view, advocates of both positions are falling short.
Where there has been significant progress is with the Taoiseach’s Shared Island Unit and the research it has commissioned – in particular, from the Economic and Social Research Unit –which evaluates the differences between north and south. In many respects, those differences are significant and in some cases substantial. Unifying two jurisdictions that have diverged over the last century will, or would, be a challenge. But at least there is clarity on the task.
A common starting position exists for either preparing for unity or strengthening the viability of Northern Ireland within the UK. This would be to improve crossborder partnerships. Whether in healthcare provision, skills development, university provision, energy security, or environmental protection, there is a strong case for building joint working: cutting costs, improving outcomes. None of this in itself is a threat to a tradition, nor a presage of the future.
What seems to me indisputable is that we cannot continue as we are and expect the outcomes to change. Stormont is a failure today and either needs to be reformed or removed and that argument applies equally to those who favour the constitutional status quo and those who argue for an Irish unity in which Stormont is retained within a federal system. That would merely provide a pretence of change without changing the decisionmaking substance.
Paul Gosling is author of A New Ireland: A Five Year Review of Progress, published by Colmcille Press
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