Date: 17th September 2024

Time: 8:30pm – 4:15pm

Location: Titanic Belfast

The Northern Ireland Energy Forum, now in its 23rd 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 2024 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.

Decarbonising the Northern Ireland economy

The decarbonisation of the economy is one of the key priorities set out by Economy Minister, Conor Murphy, MLA. Decarbonisation of energy use has become a priority for all governments amidst a worsening climate crisis. The market turmoil of recent years and the anxiety over energy security has only accelerated the drive towards developing indigenous renewable energy sources. The Minister has announced a ban on oil and gas licensing and will focus on the urgent need for delivery in electricity, heat and transport areas. In electricity, the first RESS auction is planned for 2025 with 2 GW needed to achieve the 2023 target of 80% of electricity from renewable sources. The reform of electricity connection policy is underway and the sector will see the introduction of smart metering. 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. Transport will see an increase in electrification and the development of a green hydrogen sector offers scope to decarbonise the sector and to also deliver a long term storage solution for the energy system as a whole. The 2024 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.