AQW 21367/22-27

Ms Kellie Armstrong
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 27/01/2025
Answered On Date: 05/02/2025
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail any actions that will be taken to secure the power network across Northern Ireland, given the move away from fossil fuels will increase residential dependency on electricity and the increasing in frequency and impact of adverse weather incidents.

Answer:

My department has been working with DAERA and all departments to finalise the third Northern Ireland Climate Change Adaptation Programme (NICCAP3) in response to the risks and opportunities set out in the most recent UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (CRA3). The draft NICCAP3 will go to the Executive before a public consultation.

The planning and maintenance of the electricity grid is the collective responsibility of SONI and NIE Networks. NIE Networks is working towards the 2080 change models that were developed by the Met Office in its UK Climate Projections (UKCP 18).

The Utility Regulator has recently approved an unprecedented £2.23 billion for the development and maintenance of the electricity grid over the period April 2025 to March 2031.