Denis Cagney is an independent private advisor on energy, regulation and competition matters. He currently advises a number of stakeholders in the Irish energy market and lectures on legal issues in energy regulation with the Florence School of Regulation at the European University Institute.

Denis retired from the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) in May 2015 where he had been Director of Energy Networks, Renewables and Legal Affairs since 2000. In addition to discharging these duties, Denis was also a member of the SEM Oversight Committee which entailed overseeing and advising on all island wholesale electricity market design issues, including the current major reforms (“I-SEM”) to comply with the EU target model by 2017.

Denis was a frequent contributor at public fora on energy issues in Ireland and abroad. He has also advised the Vietnamese Energy Regulatory Authority (ERAV) on market liberalisation and design issues under an Irish Aid funded project. Prior to joining the CER,

Denis was Head of EU/Competition Law Unit at Matheson Solicitors for the period 1992 to 2000. Before that he had worked as a case officer in the European Commission (DG Competition) and as an Assistant Principal Officer in the Department of Finance. A qualified solicitor, Denis has an M.SC. Econ from Trinity College Dublin.