Weekly Brief 1

The European Commission has ruled the proposed multiplier for Irish-produced biomethane in the Renewable Heat Obligation incompatible with EU internal market rules. IrBEA's Seán Finan has called it a "make-or-break" moment for the sector; the IFA at the same time named the RHO as the principal bottleneck on farm-side renewables uptake. A €200m capital grant scheme is reportedly under consideration in response, with design and consultants yet to be appointed. In practice: any obliged supplier reading their 2027 compliance position now has a route to cheaper biomethane from Czech, German or Danish producers, with no domestic preference mechanism currently in place. Build economics for Irish AD will need to be re-examined against the revised support architecture.

Read the Commission notification →

4 min read · Agriland · Bioenergy Insight · Farmers Journal

Fianna Fáil TD James O'Connor (Cork East) has submitted the Electricity Regulation (Removal of Nuclear Fission Prohibitions) Bill 2026 to the Oireachtas Bills Office. The bill repeals Section 18(6) of the Electricity Regulation Act 1999 and a parallel provision in the Planning and Development Act 2024. It does not authorise the construction of a reactor — it removes the statutory prohibition that currently means nuclear cannot be modelled, costed or analysed as part of Ireland's official electricity strategy. Taoiseach Micheál Martin has signalled support for serious examination; Energy Minister Darragh O'Brien has been more measured. The Green Party opposes; Labour leader Ivana Bacik called it "a hare-brained notion"; Independent Ireland TD Ken O'Flynn framed the existing arrangement — banning domestic nuclear while importing nuclear-derived electricity — as "policy contradiction." For context: Ireland imported roughly 1.3 TWh of nuclear-derived electricity from France and Great Britain via the existing interconnectors in 2025; the Celtic Interconnector will add to that from Q4 2028. The bill goes to Fianna Fáil's internal meeting this week before Dáil debate within six months.

> EnergyView editor's reaction: "The risk isn't that Ireland studies nuclear. The risk is that it becomes a distraction from the technology and projects that will actually deliver this side of 2050. We should remove the legal ban — it costs nothing, ends an artificial constraint on analysis, and preserves option value past 2050. But don't prioritise nuclear in Ireland's electricity strategy."

Read the full LinkedIn reaction →

4 min read · RTÉ · Irish Examiner · Irish Times · The Journal · Brussels Signal

EirGrid confirmed last week that the 500km Cork-to-Brittany subsea cable, originally due to go live in 2026, will not be commissioned before Q4 2028. Slower-than-expected seabed conditions and cable protection operations are cited. The interconnector will be Ireland's first direct EU power link since Brexit, and will supply largely nuclear-derived French electricity once live. EirGrid notes the new date is itself weather-dependent.

3 min read · Irish Examiner · EirGrid

New accounts for Fuinneamh Sceirde Teoranta — the Corio Generation / Macquarie-backed developer of the 450MW Sceirde Rocks project off Carna — show €50m in project costs across three financial years, accumulated losses of €56m, and statements no longer prepared on a going-concern basis. The €1.4bn, 30-turbine scheme would have powered 350,000 homes; the directors withdrew the project in April 2025 citing "market conditions and project specific constraints." Three Galway investors are now pursuing legal action against Corio related to the share purchase agreement.

3 min read · Irish Times

The all-island initiative, launched this morning with Minister O'Brien in attendance, funds, installs and maintains on-site solar PV for Irish businesses with no upfront cost, recouped through 15–25 year corporate PPAs. Targeted at manufacturing, logistics and large commercial energy users. In practice, the programme removes the upfront capex barrier that has typically slowed commercial-rooftop adoption among mid-market firms, and gives participating companies a fixed energy cost line over a multi-decade horizon.

2 min read · Activ8 Energies

The CRU proposes to remove D-TUoS charges from Energy Storage Units (ESUs) from the 2026/27 tariff year and charge them on a G-TUoS basis — treating them as generators rather than as demand. The CRU's own analysis, drawing on ECA modelling, estimates a ~30% lift in storage utilisation and ~€37m per year of net customer savings through reduced curtailment and balancing costs. Applies to standalone and co-located ESUs; does not apply to storage co-located with demand or to autoproducer users. Replaces the 2020 interim decision; the wider network tariff review is still to come.

Deadline: Close of business · Wednesday 13 May 2026

Open CRU consultation portal →

Standing up EirGrid's new standalone Offshore business unit. Senior Executive Leadership Team, reporting to the CEO. Multi-billion-euro capital programme; end-to-end delivery of offshore transmission. Via Odgers Ireland.
Closes 12 noon, Friday 29 May 2026

All-island trade body for generators, retailers and distributors; Eurelectric member for Ireland. Via Lansdowne Executive Search.
Closes 22 May 2026

Originate generation and storage projects across EMEA for AWS data centres (Amazon Energy Eoraip). 10+ years sector experience.
Rolling

Corporate PPA strategy and commercial development for BnM's Renewable Energy Parks pipeline. 10+ years energy industry experience.
Closing date to confirm

Portfolio management for AIB's project finance book in renewables and infrastructure across Ireland, the UK, Europe and North America.
Rolling

Tullamore Court Hotel · Capstone of BnM's Accelerate Green programme. Energy and policy. This Thursday.

Clayton Hotel Burlington Road, Dublin.

Croke Park, Dublin. The main set-piece of the Irish energy calendar.

RDS, Dublin.

Hogan Suite, Croke Park.

Fota Island Resort, Cork. Theme: "Hydrogen for Energy, Industry and Data Resilience in a Connected Europe." Co-hosted by Hydrogen Ireland and the Clean Hydrogen Partnership; anchored to Ireland's EU Presidency.

Philip Connolly
Editor · EnergyView

Sources this week: Agriland · Bioenergy Insight · Farmers Journal · Irish Examiner · Irish Times · RTÉ · EirGrid · CRU · Activ8 Energies · The Journal