Ireland: Energy Law

The European Union continues to refine its energy and climate regulatory framework through significant amendments to electricity market rules, methane emissions standards, and the Emissions Trading Scheme. Recent developments span critical infrastructure resilience, carbon border adjustments, and enhanced oversight of energy supply chains, reflecting the EU's commitment to achieving its 2040 emission reduction targets while maintaining market competitiveness.

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The European Commission has proposed a new Regulation to future-proof electricity bills by reducing system costs and promoting electrification and digitalisation. The proposal introduces significant changes to network tariff structures, smart metering deployment targets, and taxation frameworks designed to incentivise flexible consumption patterns and support grid efficiency.

The Planning and Development (Costs of Part 9 Judicial Review Proceedings) Regulations 2026, which came into operation on 18 May 2026, introduce a fixed statutory schedule of costs caps governing the legal costs recoverable by a successful applicant in planning judicial review proceedings taken under the Planning and Development Act 2024.

The European Commission adopted the Middle East Crisis Temporary State Aid Framework to support the EU economy in light of the Middle East crisis. The framework enables Member States to provide targeted support to sectors most affected by increased input and energy costs, particularly agriculture, fisheries and transport.

Ireland is implementing a new Building Energy Rating (BER) system from 24 May 2026, introducing zero emissions building categories and simplified certification scales.

The Council of the European Union (the “Council”) has approved the amended European Climate Law (the “European Climate Law”) and published Regulation (EU) 2026/667 (the “Regulation”) in respect of the 2040 intermediate climate target. The European Climate Law, with direct effect in Ireland, was first adopted in 2021 and established the EU’s long-term climate policy framework in line with the Paris Agreement.

The European Commission adopted the State aid Land and Multimodal Transport Guidelines and the State aid Transport Block Exemption Regulation on 16 March 2026...

The European Council has formally adopted the Directive on updating the list of pollutants affecting surface water and groundwater.