At the beginning of 2026, each of the Electricity Association of Ireland’s core committees – Markets, Policy and Retail – held dedicated strategy sessions to agree their advocacy priorities for the year ahead. These sessions form a key part of EAI’s annual planning process and are designed to ensure that the Association’s work programme is focused, forward-looking and aligned with the needs of both industry and policymakers.
The purpose of the strategy sessions is to identify strategic focus areas for each committee in line with EAI’s overarching strategy. This is done in a way that supports the electrification of society, decarbonisation, a cost-effective transition, and the development of efficient and competitive electricity markets. Central to the process is bringing together an industry-wide consensus position, identifying policy gaps where earlier engagement is required, and building a strategic work programme that reflects EAI’s values of being authoritative, evidence-based and constructive.
By taking this approach, EAI aims to move earlier in the policy cycle, complementing its consultation responses with proactive advocacy. The outcome is a clear set of deliverable actions and priority policy positions for 2026, a structured approach to managing resources, and consistent messaging across engagement with regulators, system operators, government, and other stakeholders.
Markets Committee: Market Design, Security of Supply, and Investment Signals
The Markets Committee’s 2026 strategy is focused on proactively shaping market design and governance frameworks that underpin security of supply and investment confidence in the Single Electricity Market.
A central priority for the year ahead is earlier engagement on proposed changes to market arrangements. This includes developing a clear industry position on the potential transition from the current Balancing Code of Practice to a Balancing Market Principles Code of Practice, ensuring that any future reforms are grounded in system realities and operational experience.
The Committee will also pursue both proactive and reactive advocacy on the Capacity Remuneration Mechanism, with a focus on auction timelines, governance arrangements, the need for a more coordinated, multi-year planning approach, and the evolution of the mechanism to comply with State Aid requirements. Alongside this, the Committee has identified dispatch down and storage as strategic priorities for 2026. Work in these areas will focus on developing practical, solution-oriented policy positions that address rising levels of dispatch down, improve transparency and system efficiency, and provide clearer investment signals for storage as a core pillar of future system security and flexibility.
Policy Committee: Anticipating System-Wide Challenges and Enabling Delivery
The Policy Committee’s strategy for 2026 is centred on anticipating system-wide policy challenges and engaging earlier on issues that cut across infrastructure delivery, the decarbonisation of industry, security of supply, electrification and competitiveness and cost allocation, with a focus still on Network Tariff developments from the CRU and at EU-level.
Key focus areas include drawing out the policy implications of national and international security-of-supply analysis, supporting DCEE, Eurelectric and DETE on advocacy priorities around the EU Presidency and shaping the debate on how critical electricity infrastructure is planned, assessed and delivered. The Committee will also monitor and engage on emerging EU-level developments, particularly those relating to grid governance and market frameworks, to ensure that Irish implementation reflects domestic system needs.
In parallel, the Committee will explore longer-term policy questions relating to the cost of the energy transition, cost recovery and distribution, and the future role of gas, recognising the importance of maintaining public support and ensuring that the transition remains economically sustainable.
Retail Committee: Cost, Protection, and Retail Market Evolution
The Retail Committee’s 2026 priorities focus on cost and affordability, customer protection, and the practical implications of retail market reform.
Proactive advocacy will concentrate on ensuring that policy interventions aimed at supporting consumers are underpinned by robust data, proportionate obligations, and a clear understanding of how suppliers operate in practice. Priority workstreams include advancing industry positions on bill transparency, wholesale price pass-through, and improving the accuracy and usefulness of debt and arrears reporting.
Customer protection will remain a core area of focus, with further work planned on the effective application of protections to ensure that those most in need are prioritised appropriately. The Committee will also engage proactively on emerging energy market design proposals, including energy sharing, to identify operational, cost and governance impacts early and to support constructive engagement with policymakers before designs are finalised.
Looking Ahead
Across all three committees, the 2026 strategy reflects a shared ambition to move from reactive engagement towards earlier, more strategic advocacy. By aligning priorities across committees and focusing on proactive engagement, EAI aims to strengthen its role as a trusted, authoritative voice in Ireland’s energy transition – supporting a secure, affordable and low-carbon electricity system that delivers for consumers, industry and the wider economy.