Northern Ireland Energy Forum 2026
The Northern Ireland Energy Forum, now in its 25th 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. The 2026 Forum will once again bring together all the key players, from Northern Ireland and further afield, to focus on the most important aspects of energy policy and the latest developments across the sector. It provides a unique opportunity for all those operating within the sector to come together for networking and discussion.
Energy in an uncertain world
The decarbonisation of the economy is one of the key priorities set out in the Programme for Government and the recent energy market turmoil and the increasing anxiety over energy security has only accelerated the drive towards developing indigenous renewable energy sources. There is an urgent need for delivery right across the energy sector. In electricity, the first RESS auction is planned with 2 GW needed to achieve the 2030 target of 80% of electricity from renewable sources. The electricity sector will see significant investment in the coming years as the trend towards the electrification of the economy increases. The use of battery storage is also accelerating with utility scale storage projects now coming on stream. In heat, the focus for the sector is now on the development of biomethane, heat networks and geothermal sources. Looking further into the future, there is the prospect of green hydrogen and the development of a long term storage solution for the energy system as a whole. The 2026 Forum comes at a time when developments are accelerating right across the energy sector and will bring together all these issues with a range of expert speakers.
Where
Titanic Belfast
When
Wednesday 9th
September
2026 themes
- Decarbonising the Northern Ireland economy
- Regulatory outlook for the energy sector
- How geopolitics is shaping our energy future
- Planning and environmental aspects of energy projects
- The future of the electricity grid
- Developing a biomethane economy in Northern Ireland
- The role of wind and solar energy in achieving 80 by 2030
- Sustainable heat and district heating networks
- Meeting the need for long term energy storage
- Future outlook for green hydrogen
Event Speakers
Speakers confirmed so far include:
Caoimhe Archibald MLA
Minister for the Economy
John French
Utility Regulator
Emma Morris
SONI
Ciarán McManus
NIE Networks
Edel Creery
NIE Networks
Niall Martindale
Kinecx Energy
Andrew Ryan
TLT Solicitors
Lucy Yu
Department for Energy Security & Net Zero
AI Champion for Clean Energy
&
Centre for Net Zero
CEO
Glen Evertsen
Transmission Investment
Richard Rodgers
Department for the Economy
Malcolm Moore
Financial Times
Sam Mc Closkey
Simply Blue Energy
Ian Marshall
Centre for Advanced Sustainable Energy (CASE)
Programme
Registration & morning coffee
Chair’s welcome and introduction
Sam Mc Closkey, Country Director, Northern Ireland Simply Blue Energy
The path to net zero: secure, affordable, clean
Caoimhe Archibald MLAMinister for the Economy
How geopolitics is shaping our energy future
Malcolm Moore, Energy EditorFinancial Times
Growth through collaborative infrastructure planning and delivery
Ciarán McManus, Managing DirectorNIE Networks
Biomethane economy: an unmissable opportunity
Niall Martindale, CEOKinecx Energy
Enhancing the grid for a secure and sustainable future
Emma Morris, Director of OperationsSONI
Morning coffee / networking break
outlook
Regulatory outlook for energy in Northern Ireland
John French, Chief Executive Utility Regulator
environment
Planning, environment and delivering energy projects: The pressure is on
Andrew Ryan, Partner TLT Solicitors
Investing in transmission grid assets
Glen Evertsen, Project DirectorTransmission Investment
AI deployment in the energy sector: opportunities and challenges
Lucy Yu, AI Champion for Clean EnergyDepartment for Energy Security &
CEO, Centre for Net Zero
Questions & answers / Panel discussion
Networking lunch
Chair:
Edel Creery, Director of Customer and Market Services NIE Networks
market
The future strategy of the SEM to deliver Ireland's energy future
Tanya Harrington, CommissionerCommission for Regulation Of Utilities (Invited)
Delivering a biomethane economy in Northern Ireland
Ian Marshall, Head of Business Development and PolicyCentre for Advanced Sustainable Energy (CASE), Queen’s University Belfast
Questions & answers / Panel discussion
PANEL DISCUSSION: SHAPING NORTHERN IRELAND’S FUTURE ENERGY LANDSCAPE
Ian Marshall, Head of Business Development and Policy, Centre for Advanced Sustainable Energy (CASE), Queen’s University Belfast
Sam Mc Closkey, Country Director, Northern Ireland, Simply Blue Energy
Richard Rodgers, Deputy Secretary, Head of Energy, Department for the Economy
Chair’s summary and conference close
Sponsorship & Exhibition opportunities
There are a limited number of opportunities for interested organisations to partner with the 2026 Northern Ireland Energy Forum. This is an excellent way for organisations to showcase their expertise and raise their profile with a key audience of senior policy and decision makers from across Northern Ireland’s energy sector. For further information on how your organisation can benefit, contact Rebecca Sterritt on 028 9261 9933 or email Rebecca.sterritt@agendaNi.com
Event Venue
Event venue location info and gallery
Titanic Belfast
1 Olympic Way
Queen’s Road
Titanic Quarter
Belfast
Northern Ireland
BT3 9EP
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