National Energy Security Framework

The government has launched the National Energy Security Framework, which provides an overarching and comprehensive response to Ireland’s energy security needs in the context of the war in Ukraine.

The Framework outlines the structures which are in place within Government to monitor and manage our energy supplies. It sets out the plans which are in place to deal with energy security emergencies should they arise, and outlines out how these plans will be tested in light of the war in Ukraine.

The Framework also sets out how Government can support households and businesses, with a particular focus on protecting those most at risk of fuel poverty, how it is already ensuring Ireland’s energy security, how it will speed up the country’s shift to increased energy efficiency and indigenous renewable energy systems. It also sets out how consumers and businesses can be supported to save energy and save money.

Increased demand as we emerged from the pandemic, coupled with the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the associated sanctions on Russia, has brought about new challenges for the security of energy supplies across Europe. Combining all of these factors, we have seen dramatic increases in the price of gas, electricity and oil, in Ireland and across Europe.

The Framework sets out the government’s action in response to these issues across three key themes:

• managing the impact on consumers and businesses, with a specific focus on financially vulnerable residential consumers in the short-term
• ensuring security of energy supply in the near term, with a focus on the period up to and including winter 2022/23
• reducing our dependency on imported fossil fuels, in the context of the phasing out of Russian energy imports across the EU