The Irish utility sector is made up of energy, water and waste. The energy sector is mature and competitive with many innovations in the renewable space leading to a pace of change that can be difficult to keep up with.
The threat to our planet, primarily caused by man-made issues, has created many opportunities and threats for the sector. Utility companies that were once predictable and consistent businesses have been forced to transform, to innovate, and to pivot like never before in order to stay ahead of the curve.
The independent energy and water regulator in Ireland is The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), originally established as the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) in 1999. The CER changed its name to the CRU in 2017 to better reflect the expanded powers and functions of the organisation. But greater regulation brings with it many challenges that are unavoidable.
To thrive in this sector in the future, organisations will need to transform their businesses and in some cases completely rethink their place in a supply chain that has become, at times, adversarial but will, in the future, be led by those who collaborate openly.
