Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 25 February 2021
10. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the amount paid to windfarms in constraint payments annually; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10662/21]
View answerUnder the Electricity Regulation (Amendment) (Single Electricity Market) Act 2007, regulation of the Single Electricity Market (SEM), including its detailed rules as set out in the Trading and Settlement Code, is the responsibility of the SEM Committee. The SEM Committee consists of the Commission for Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), the Utility Regulator Northern Ireland (UREGNI) and independent members.
The operation and administration of the Single Electricity Market is managed by the Single Electricity Market Operator (SEMO). The SEMO is a joint venture between the transmission system operator for Ireland, EirGrid, and the System Operator for Northern Ireland (SONI) Limited. The SEMO is licensed and regulated by the CRU in Ireland and its counterpart in Northern Ireland, the UREGNI.
I have no function in the day-to-day operational matters of the CRU, the SEM Operator or of the SEM Committee.
However information on the amount of constraints on the system are published in Eirgrid’s Annual Renewable Energy Constraint and Curtailment Report, which is available on the www.eirgridgroup.com website.
