Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 November 2021
214. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Transport the estimated amount of electricity that will be required to power one million electric cars (details supplied) in view of the measures targeted in the Climate Action Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55253/21]
View answerUnder the high demand scenario outlined in the Programme for Government, electricity demand will almost double by 2030, while associated emissions are to be reduced by 60-80% at the same time. Total electricity demand over the next ten years is forecast to grow by between 19% and 50%, largely driven by large new energy users, which include transport electricity demand (estimated at circa 23% per annum) as a result of accelerated uptake of EV charging. It is evident therefore that additional electricity generation and enhanced demand management is needed to support the decarbonisation of our economy and society, including the transport sector, and to achieve our emission reduction targets.
While the supply and provision of electricity to the country is a policy matter for the Department of Energy, Climate and Communications (DECC), and detailed queries on this matter should be directed to that Department rather than the Department of Transport , I can inform the Deputy that under the Climate Action Plan the electricity sector commits to expanding electricity output and refining the grid to meet this additional demand, including the extra demand from electric vehicles. The Plan commits to increasing the share of electricity supply from renewable sources to up to 80%, delivering three new transmission grid connections/interconnectors to Northern Ireland, Great Britain, and the EU, as well as exploring further interconnections to other countries. A range of supporting measures will also be needed to enable this transformation of the electricity generation sector. These will include providing the conventional capacity that will be essential to ensure the security of the system, grid investments, interconnectors, and storage facilities.
Furthermore, the Climate Action Plan outlines a number of measures to deliver on increased electricity demand management including:
- The Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU) will deliver a new Demand Side Strategy which will aim to have industrial, commercial and residential demand fully participating in supporting system needs with high levels of renewable generation, and seek to facilitate active participation by consumers and communities in the energy market.
- The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), the CRU and the system operators, will work with large energy users and enterprise development agencies, to develop approaches to enhance reporting and usage of lower carbon energy sources, including increased transparency of electricity emissions data to enable large energy users to address their electricity emissions across time (hourly) and geographic locations.
- EirGrid and ESB Networks will undertake an in-depth analysis of local, regional and system level flexibility requirements, and modify their own approaches and procedures to facilitate demand flexibility, to drive down costs to the consumer and provide the necessary flexibility to meet the needs of the energy transition to 2030.
The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (the CRU) has statutory responsibility, under S.I. 60 of 2005, to monitor and take measures necessary to ensure the security of electricity supply in Ireland. The CRU is assisted in its statutory role by EirGrid, the electricity transmission system operator. The CRU is an independent statutory body and solely accountable to a committee of the Oireachtas for the performance of its functions.
EirGrid’s Generation Capacity Statement which was published on Wednesday 29 September and covers the period 2021 to 2030 sets out a medium term need to develop 1,850 MW of generation capacity by 2025. On the same day, the CRU published an information note, setting out the programme of actions being progressed to deliver the required generation capacity. The actions include: increasing the availability of existing generators; developing of new generation capacity – including temporary generation capacity in advance of winter 2022; extending the operational life of some existing generators; new rules for the grid connection of data centres; and actions to enhance demand-side response, including large consumers reducing demand when the system margin is low.
The Deputy should note that the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) has statutory responsibility to monitor and take measures necessary to ensure the security of electricity supply in Ireland. In this regard, the CRU recently published a programme of actions to deliver 1,850 MW of generation capacity by 2025. Such actions will help power our future electric fleet.
