We can build it, but will they come with us?

By Kieran Donnelly, Managing Director.

Northern Ireland has embarked on one of the biggest programmes of economic and social change in generations – the transition from fossil fuels to more sustainable energy. Attending the recent 25^th NI Energy Forum event it was clear that, while much progress has been made, the focus to date understandably has been on infrastructure, technology, investment and policy.

How do we generate and maximise more renewable electricity? How do we strengthen the grid? How do we decarbonise heat? What role could geothermal energy, heat pumps and other technologies play? How quickly can we electrify transport?

These are enormous questions. But there is another challenge which receives considerably less attention. How do we bring people with us?

Northern Ireland has a statutory target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, with at least 80 per cent of electricity consumption to come from renewable sources by 2030. We have reached record levels, with 53% of our electricity coming from renewables in the year to June. But we have some way to go and arguably the next stage will be harder.

Those targets will not be achieved simply by building more wind farms, introducing energy storage, embracing biomethane or changing legislation. It will require significant changes in how businesses operate and how we heat our homes, travel and consume electricity. Changing habits and behaviours built over a lifetime makes the energy transition a communications challenge on an extraordinary scale.

We see this increasingly through our work with organisations across the energy sector. Working with NIE Networks, for example, brings us close to the transformation of the electricity system and the need for greater electrification. The Utility Regulator has approved a major programme of investment between 2025 and 2031 to increase network capacity and resilience as Northern Ireland moves away from fossil fuels, recognising that as transport and heating electrify, the network must evolve to meet new patterns and levels of electricity demand.

That physical transformation, including the refurbishment, reinforcement and selective expansion of the network, is already underway. Much of the work will take place within existing infrastructure, but where investment is visible, communities, businesses, landowners and consumers will understandably want to understand why is it needed? Why here? What will it mean for me? Those are communications questions as much as engineering ones and why companies like NIE are already undertaking communication programmes, which puts public understanding and support centre stage.

We see something similar through our work supporting geothermal projects, including GeoEnergy NI and the cross-border GEMINI initiative funded by the Special EU Programmes Body. Geothermal offers the possibility of using the heat beneath our feet as low-carbon energy for buildings and communities, with GEMINI investing around €20 million in demonstration projects across the island. But while successfully used elsewhere for many years, it remains unfamiliar to many here. Introducing new technology like this therefore requires more than proving it works. People must understand it, trust it and support its deployment.

The same challenge will soon come to our doors with smart metering. In April, the Department for the Economy published its design plan for the Northern Ireland rollout, with NIE Networks responsible for procuring and installing the meters. The meters should give consumers better information about their electricity usage use while helping create the flexible system increased renewable generation requires.

By June 2026, 72% of homes and small businesses across GB had smart meters. In Ireland it has risen to over 80%. Their experience shows that successful smart meter rollouts depend not only on installing the technology, but also on helping consumers understand the benefits and feel confident using the information it provides.

This is why communications cannot be an afterthought, nor can every organisation involved operate independently. Government departments, regulators, network operators, energy companies, councils, environmental organisations and consumer representatives have different responsibilities, but on the fundamentals we need coordination and collaboration like never before.

We need a shared narrative explaining why the transition is necessary, not only because of climate change, but because energy security and economic competitiveness and indeed our health and environment increasingly depend upon it.

There is no escaping the fact that Northern Ireland remains exposed to international fossil-fuel markets over which we have no control. Developing more indigenous renewable energy gives us an opportunity to reduce that exposure while retaining more of our energy expenditure within the local economy.

That story needs to be told consistently, using voices communities already trust. Research repeatedly shows that the messenger matters as much as the message. Building informed advocates across society should therefore be part of our energy infrastructure every bit as deliberately as building physical networks.

Communications also needs to become much better at acknowledging trade-offs. The transition will cost money, and infrastructure will sometimes be disruptive, while consumers will understandably worry about affordability. Pretending those concerns do not exist simply creates space for opponents and misinformation to fill. Successful engagement means explaining why change is necessary, being transparent about its implications and demonstrating what people will gain in return.

Above all, we need to recognise the scale of behavioural change involved. Each heat pump, electric vehicle, smart meter or different way of using electricity represents a big decision someone may have to make in their home or workplace. That is where the transition could ultimately succeed or fail.

We can’t assume that if we build it, they will come. Unless people understand why it is happening, trust those delivering it and see a role and benefit for themselves within it, will they be persuaded to make the necessary changes in their own lives?