Foreword Caoimhe Archibald MLA

In December 2025, I published the Energy Strategy Mid-Term Review, a detailed account of progress to date in delivering on the Executive’s ambitious 2030 energy decarbonisation targets.

Achieving these targets is challenging but necessary. Delivering affordable, renewable energy that protects households and communities from volatile costs, boosts the competitiveness of our businesses and safeguards our natural environment, is the prize at the heart of our energy transition.

Since the Executive’s return in February 2024, my predecessor Conor Murphy and I have made decarbonisation a central priority of economic policy, fostering the greater innovation, partnership, and determination that will be required to meet the statutory targets established in The Climate Change Act (NI) 2022.

Renewable electricity supplies nearly half of our region’s total power consumption.

Our green economy continues to expand, generating over £1.4 billion annually and supporting wider economic growth. Record investment in energy infrastructure, including the largest-ever refurbishment and upgrade of our electricity network, is helping deliver cleaner, cheaper and more reliable energy for households and businesses.

Since 2021, we have invested over £72 million in decarbonising the government estate, delivering more than £10 million of recurring annual energy savings, supporting under pressure public budgets, reducing public sector emissions, and providing leadership in the energy transition.

I am proud of the progress we are making, and I am equally clear about the challenges ahead. I am committed to address barriers to investment, strengthen our infrastructure faster, and ensure that our energy system is resilient and inclusive.

In the last year alone, I published the Green Skills Action Plan, which is a true collaboration between industry and government, a new policy on fairer grid connection costs, and the final scheme design for a renewable electricity support scheme – an indication of the breadth and scale of our work to accelerate the transition.
At the beginning of the year, the Executive approved my department’s proposed approach to the closure of the Non-Domestic RHI Scheme, providing clarity and certainty on the way forward. My department continues to engage with Treasury on options for deploying available Annual Managed Expenditure (AME), post-closure, to support the deployment of renewable heating in businesses.

Importantly, our transition to a new energy future is a collective effort – driven by partnerships across government, industry, and communities, as we work together towards affordable, renewable, and self-sufficient energy.

Since I took office in February 2025, regular engagement with Minister Darragh O’Brien TD has seen us reaffirm our shared commitment towards a secure, sustainable and prosperous all-island energy future.

We share common challenges, particularly on energy security and affordability, and continue to work together to strengthen our infrastructure, while ensuring our energy system is resilient and inclusive.

Critical to our joint energy future is safeguarding the Single Electricity Market (SEM) and strengthening our electricity infrastructure. I remain committed to the efficient operation of the SEM and welcome the recent ‘relationship reset’, which includes discussions on possible participation in the EU’s internal electricity market to help lower costs for consumers.

In addition, ongoing collaboration in relation to green skills, investment in shared island infrastructure initiatives, including offshore wind, and energy security, are essential to ensuring we maximise the energy transition opportunities.

By taking a collaborative approach, we are overcoming these obstacles and ensuring steady progress towards a cleaner, fairer, and more resilient energy future and delivering significant economic opportunity.

As we move forward, this year my department will publish an energy policy position statement, setting out the clear direction of travel in the delivery of our Energy Strategy through to 2030. Annual Energy Strategy action plans remain central to outlining our delivery intentions.

Continued collaboration will be vital as we move into the next phase of delivery. The constructive challenge provided by my critical friends, together with the expertise of stakeholders across industry, academia and civic society, continues to shape effective energy policy and support its implementation.

By working together towards common objectives, we can better address challenges, ensuring that the actions we take are cost-effective, sustainable and deliver lasting benefits for everyone in our society.

Minister for the Economy

Caoimhe Archibald MLA