Eirgrid continues to make solid progress decarbonising the electricity system

Eirgrid has made solid progress on decarbonising the electricity system over the past year, according to the organisation’s latest annual report. During the period between October 1st, 2022, and September 30th, 2023, 42 per cent of electricity generated in Ireland came from renewables while 300MW of solar, 150MW of wind and 75MW of battery storage capacity were connected to the system.

“It was another year when Eirgrid continued to deliver on our core mandate of operating the electricity system securely and operating the wholesale electricity market,” says Eirgrid chief corporate services officer Doireann Barry. “We also continued the development and evolution of the power system while supporting the objectives of the Government’s Climate Action Plan.”

Another important achievement during the year was an increase in the amount of renewables that can be carried on the system at the same time. This is known as the system non-synchronous penetration (SNSP) limit.

“The SNSP limit was increased to 75 per cent,” she says. “This is the result of a huge programme of work over the last 10 to 12 years. That’s very high for a system of our size and is up there with the world’s best.”

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Overcoming the challenges of accommodating intermittent and variable renewable sources on the grid has seen Eirgrid engage in a programme of work on the system to get the power to where it is needed when it is needed. “We need to ensure that supply to business and homes is not affected at all,” she says. “When you turn the switch the lights should come on. But we are not going to rest on our laurels. There is a lot more work to be done to maximise renewable power on the system. We need to get to 95 per cent SNSP by the end of the decade.”

Eirgrid also ran a successful offshore wind renewable energy support scheme (RESS) auction during the year. “There were six bids and four of them were successful,” says Barry. “This will deliver 3GW of power to the system in the coming years. A huge amount of renewable energy is coming on to the power system in the next few years. It’s very exciting.”

Grid development continues apace. “We have a number of big projects at various stages,” she says. “The Celtic Interconnector linking Ireland with France is at the construction stage. The Powering Up the Grid project to reinforce the grid in the Dublin area is at the planning stage with three of the routes for new underground cables identified and work continuing on identifying the routes for the other two cables. Equally important are the Kildare-Meath and East Meath-North Dublin grid upgrades. These big infrastructure projects will build out the grid and support the objectives of the Climate Action Plan by bringing more renewable power from where it is generated to where it is needed.”

These major projects are accompanied by intensive engagement with local communities and other stakeholders. “That’s a hallmark of how we work,” says Barry. “We have stepped up this activity and we are very proud of our Energy Citizens Roadshow. This is a shared event between ourselves, ESB Networks and SEAI (Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland).”

The roadshow events provide information on how EirGrid plans to future-proof the electricity grid as well as on how ESB Networks are supporting microgeneration, mini-generation schemes and initiatives. In addition SEAI advises on retrofitting grants, sustainable energy communities and business supports.

“We have held 14 roadshow events so far and more than 1,000 people participated,” Barry adds.

Eirgrid also establishes community benefit funds for communities that host new infrastructure. “There is a €2.4 million fund for the Celtic Interconnector project, for example. It’s for the community, by the community. The communities come up with projects themselves in areas that matter to them such as the community, sustainability and biodiversity. It’s a way of giving back. These funds are a tangible benefit for communities hosting infrastructure in their area and support things that are really important to them.”

On the broader environment, social and governance (ESG) agenda, she says Eirgrid looks beyond decarbonisation of the energy system. “We also work on biodiversity with our ecology team, for instance. On the social side we have stepped up our activity in the education space, and we have partnerships with SciFest and Young Social Innovators.”

In the governance sphere the new Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive is going to transform what annual reports look like. “We have been making preparations to align our current reporting with the requirements of the new directive, and we are really excited about the opportunities it will offer to highlight how Eirgrid is going about the energy transition and how we are doing it in a way that speaks to our values.”