Opening Statement: Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy 13th May 2026

I am Fergal Mulligan, the Chairperson of the CRU, a role I took up in March 2026. I am joined by my fellow Commissioner Jim Gannon, who is lead Commissioner in relation to the retail market and my colleagues John Melvin, Director of Security of Supply and Wholesale Markets, Brid O’Donovan, Retail Markets Manager and Fergus O’Toole, Active Consumer and Smart Metering Manager.

We welcome the opportunity to engage with you on issues that are central to Ireland’s climate ambitions, energy security and, critically, the experience of households and businesses as we progress through the energy transition and the current issues that affect Irish customers.

As Ireland’s independent energy, energy safety and water regulator, we act in the public interest by regulating essential services that every household and business depends upon. Our core objectives are to ensure that these services are safe, secure, sustainable and delivered efficiently, while protecting consumers and enabling long-term decarbonisation.

The CRU is also currently supporting and working with the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment’s (DCEE) National Energy Affordability Taskforce (NEAT) which was established in 2025 with the objective of delivering medium (2026-2030) and long-term measures (post 2030) which will support households in meeting the cost of energy going forward. The NEAT expects to submit an Energy Affordability Action Plan to government in Q3 of this year. In that context, the CRU has also published aCall for Evidence on Protecting and Supporting Customers Facing Sustained High Energy Prices.

Ireland is undergoing a profound transformation of its energy system. That transformation is essential to meeting climate targets, but it is also taking place in the context of continued cost pressures, international volatility and significant infrastructure requirements. Balancing these realities is at the centre of the CRU’s work. We fully recognise the very real concerns among households and businesses about the persistence of high energy prices.

Regulatory Context

It is important to be clear about the regulatory context in which the CRU operates. The CRU does not have a role in relation to setting prices as the electricity market operates on an open and competitive basis, as set out under EU law.

The CRU does not approve or set retail prices, however, we have a clear role in monitoring the market, analysing outcomes, protecting consumers and intervening where suppliers do not meet their obligations. We also work to ensure that households in Ireland have access to well functioning electricity and gas markets that encourage choice, value and accountability among suppliers.

A recent analysis of the market, including a detailed review conducted in 2023, showed that retail prices broadly reflected underlying cost drivers, particularly wholesale gas and electricity prices. That said, we recognise that this does not answer all of the questions being raised, particularly regarding the speed of passthrough from wholesale prices to retail prices, the extent of any price reductions, supplier margins, and the overall effectiveness of competition or affordability.

Retail Market Competition Review

For that reason, the CRU is progressing a retail market competition review, including examination of wholesale to retail passthrough, supplier costs and margins, and the overall functioning of the market. This work forms part of Ireland’s wider response under the National Energy Affordability Taskforce, and we are engaging closely with the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission as part of this process. As you will note, we have published and shared with this Committee, the interim findings of the retail review as it has progressed since we began work on this in December. The main findings are that competition in the Irish retail electricity and gas markets is working and is generating meaningful rivalry, particularly in the domestic segments. The assessment is that the market is performing reasonably well from a competition perspective, with switching rates reasonably high and customers who engage in the market can secure significant savings, delivering clear benefits for consumers. As per previous reviews, this interim stage shows that retail prices continue to broadly reflect underlying cost drivers including wholesale costs, Ireland’s network architecture, network investment in support of a secure low carbon transition and not by any underlying issues or failures in the competition model.

Customer Protections

Alongside this review, we continue to strengthen customer protections, including winter disconnection moratoria, enhanced protections for vulnerable customers, and requirements on suppliers to meaningfully engage with customers in arrears. Our approach is evidence based and focused on outcomes that genuinely support customers while maintaining a sustainable retail market.

In relation to arrears, the CRU’s data shows that arrears levels remain historically high. The most recent figures for February were published on April 28th and showed the total number of domestic customers in arrears in electricity was 316k and in gas was 179k whilst the average value of debt in each is €492 and Euro €207 respectively. Customer protection is a core part of the CRU’s mandate. Since 2022, we have put in place enhanced protections to shield all customers from the most severe impacts of high energy prices. These include extended winter disconnection moratoria, strengthened obligations on suppliers to engage meaningfully with customers in arrears, minimum repayment plan timeframes, and discounted tariffs for vulnerable customers and financial hardship customers, including requirements to provide all the 124k electricity registered vulnerable customers, 37k gas registered vulnerable customers, and all 28k hardship electricity and 17k hardship gas customers with discounted tariffs.

Disconnection levels have remained relatively low compared to pre-pandemic levels, and this reflects both these regulatory protections and supplier obligations under the Energy Engage Code.

However, as we have communicated to this Committee previously, the CRU is very conscious that prolonged arrears can store up deeper problems for customers. Our approach therefore seeks to balance short-term protection with measures that support sustainable repayment and engagement. The CRU has met with the main suppliers in relation to the current crisis in the middle east to reinforce the requirements on suppliers to protect their customers and we will continue to engage with them.

Security and Resilience

The transition must also be underpinned by a secure and resilient energy system. The CRU continues to support investment in flexible generation, storage, renewable integration and demand side response.

Through the Single Electricity Market, new capacity has been delivered and is under construction, supporting both security of supply and decarbonisation. We are also progressing major regulatory decisions on networks, interconnection and system services to ensure the system can operate safely and efficiently as renewable penetration increases.

Network investment is a critical enabler of climate action. Through Price Review 6, the CRU is regulating unprecedented levels of investment in electricity networks to support electric vehicles, heat pumps, offshore wind, interconnection and economic growth. This will see up to €18.9bn of vital investment in our network over the next 5 years. While such investment will see increases in network charges in the near term, it is essential to delivering a more resilient, low carbon system that serves consumers over the long term. Strong regulatory oversight is central to protecting customers’ interests as this investment is delivered.

A Just Transition for all customers is important. New policies on electricity connections, grid access, and emerging technologies are being designed to manage risk to security of supply while enabling clean technologies to connect to the system in a fair and transparent way. We will continue to engage with this Committee as key decisions are finalised.

In closing, Chair, the CRU is committed to open engagement with this Committee. The CRU and its staff are working hard with Government and stakeholders to achieve the shared objective of delivering a secure, affordable and decarbonised energy system in the interests of all consumers and we are ready to work with you.