Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 7 July 2022
166. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications his plans to support the development of any new pumped storage stations in Ireland; and his views on whether such facilities are warranted. [36875/22]
View answerEnergy storage plays a critical role in ensuring flexibility and security of supply in the energy system, by facilitating the integration of renewable generation, supporting the grid, and shifting energy to the time when it is needed most. The Climate Action Plan 2021 recognises the important role of electricity storage, in supporting the transformation of the electricity sector. Under Climate Action Plan 2021, my Department has committed to developing a national electricity storage policy framework, which is due for publication in Q1 2023. To help inform this work, my Department will launch a public consultation in summer 2022. In addition, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities has committed to reviewing the regulatory treatment of storage in late 2023.
At present, Turlough Hill is the only large scale pumped storage power station in Ireland with an installed capacity of 292MW. However, Ireland has also supported the inclusion of the Silvermines Hydroelectric Pumped Storage facility on the EU’s Project of Common Interest List. The proposed development will provide 1.8GWh of storage with 360MW export capacity and 360MW of pumping load. Projects of Common Interest are key cross border infrastructure projects that link the energy systems of EU countries but can also include storage projects such as Silvermines. The project is on the 5th PCI list which was published last November.
