Taoiseach confident of no electricity blackouts this winter despite pressures

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has signalled he is confident there will be no electricity blackouts this winter arising from capacity pressures which have occurred on the State’s energy grids.

“I don’t think it is going to come to that,” said Mr Martin on Wednesday, adding he was confident that the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU) and the utility which manages the network, Eirgrid, would be able to deal with the issues that have arisen.

Speaking to reporters at the launch of a partnership between Google and St Andrew’s Resource Centre in Pearse Street in Dublin’s south inner city, he said: “It’s not just a political issue. It is a fundamental issue for people, industry, jobs, investment in the economy.

“We have a very proud record of having strong utilities to support and underpin industrial development, both domestically and FDI. It is crucial that the right steps are taken and definitive steps are taken.”

Taoiseach expresses confidence there will be no electricity blackouts this winter

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Mr Martin said that despite the Government’s intent to end dependence on fossil fuels, it was “very clear that gas will be an essential transition fuel into the future”.

The Taoiseach accepted demand for energy had increased dramatically, and that data services had played a part. However, he said that the CRU would shortly be completing a review of energy-use by data centres, and said from that would emerge a different approach where each data centre having a “back-up energy supply” would be a prerequisite.

“If issues arise the first approach will be the CRU and Eirgrid engaging with the larger energy-users that there will be demand-reduction strategies and there will be back-up capacity.”

He said a number of factors had led to the current pressures on the grid, including two gas generators stopping production because of maintenance issues. “They are due back in by early November. That will reduce any potential risks to supply.”

There had been a very low wind summer, a one in 50-year event. “Then you also have the expected closure of plants by 2025 , which were either coal-fired, or oil-fired.”

Memo

He said he had met with the CRU and Eirgrid in recent days, and that a memo would be prepared for Government shortly. “Government will be doing everything it possibly can to make sure that we plug that gap between now and 2025.”

There are 70 operational data centres in Ireland at present, most concentrated around Dublin, which has the largest number of data centres in the EU.

Data centres use some 11 per cent of grid capacity at present. A report published by Eirgrid on Wednesday said that they could account for 25 per cent of electricity capacity on the grid by 2030 under a median scenario.

Some commentators have predicted that percentage could be substantially higher.

There are at least 20 further data centres which have received approval or which are in the pipeline.