The Northern Ireland Chamber has released a new position paper, “Building Momentum with Common Purpose”, detailing industry-backed energy priorities for the remainder of this Assembly mandate and the next.

The report, published on 21 January 2026, is the first major output from the Chamber’s newly established Energy Taskforce.

Drawing on input from businesses across sectors, the paper identifies urgent measures to strengthen energy security, reduce system costs, accelerate decarbonisation, and support economic growth. It provides actionable policy recommendations, including the development of a long-term economic strategy to guide investment and the formation of an all-party working group to drive cross-party leadership for the energy transition.

The document emphasises the need for policy clarity and timelines across power, heat, and transport to boost business and investor confidence. It highlights the importance of transparent consumer engagement and targeted support for energy efficiency.

On electricity infrastructure, the paper prioritises grid upgrades, storage solutions, and early socialisation of grid connection costs. It also calls for progress on enabling legislation, including the Renewable Electricity Price Guarantee Bill and the Offshore Installations Bill, to unlock investment and technological innovation.

Decarbonising heat and transport through biomethane deployment is also a key recommendation, alongside pragmatic, sector-specific interventions to ensure renewable energy resources are fully utilised.

Suzanne Wylie, chief executive of NI Chamber, noted that businesses are ready to invest but require clarity, certainty, and coordinated leadership to turn the transition into an economic opportunity while reducing costs.

Alan Campbell, chief executive at NI Chamber’s Energy Partner SONI, highlighted that the paper focuses on practical measures to optimise renewable resources, strengthen grid capacity, and improve security and quality of supply.

Explore the full report to see how Northern Ireland plans to translate energy priorities into actionable investment opportunities.