29. April 2026

Community Energy Northern Ireland (CENI)

CENI Briefs Economy Committee on Urgent Need for Community Energy Support

Community Energy Northern Ireland (CENI) presented to the Economy Committee on the 15th April 2026, highlighting the significant policy gap holding back community‑owned renewable energy in Northern Ireland.

CENI’s comparative review shows that Northern Ireland has the weakest level of support for community energy across the UK and RoI. In 10 out of 11 areas examined, including policy, funding, advisory services, targets, and development support, no mechanisms exist. NI has no community energy strategy, no feasibility or development funding, no replacement for ROCs since 2016, and no growth targets. CENI estimates just 3MW of community‑owned generation here, compared with 411MW in Great Britain.

By contrast, Scotland, Wales, England, and the Republic of Ireland all operate structured programmes such as CARES, WGES, the Community Energy Fund, and RESS community auctions, alongside advisory and financial support.

CENI emphasised that community energy delivers economic, environmental, social, and educational benefits and that Northern Ireland’s highly developed community and voluntary sector is already organising on the ground. Across the region, communities are ready to take up the challenge and embed community energy within a wider shift in how we approach local development, but they cannot progress without a supportive policy and funding framework.

CENI asked the Committee to ensure the Department for the Economy develops a clear plan with timeframes and targets, and engages directly with CENI to support the growing network of local initiatives.

This was an opportunity to also meet with GB Energy team and Helen Seagrave Head of Local Power Plan recently launch. GB Energy team visited community energy organisations and groups such as Drumlin Wind Energy Co-operative and Ballymacash Sports Academy and met with potential new groups, giving a positive signal of wider interest in NI’s community energy potential.

Author: Tiziana O'Hara, NICE Secretary