Power-sharing talks between Sinn Féin and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) collapsed on 14 February, meaning continued uncertainty on the future policy direction for Northern Ireland (NI). This lack of surety extends into energy. There is a clear sectoral policy gap; the need for an update to the 2010 Strategic Energy Framework (SEF) was repeatedly emphasised to the UK Parliament’s Northern Ireland Affairs Committee in its 2017 NI electricity sector inquiry.
Three factors compound this lack of certainty: the lack of a Stormont executive, cross border relationships with Ireland, and interactions with the UK government.
