Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 July 2023
133. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications whether any policy options exist for homes which have no fireplace and cannot heat their home without power in the event of a power cut. [33866/23]
View answerThe Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), supported by EirGrid and my Department, currently has a programme of actions underway, which launched in September 2021, to ensure the security of our electricity supply over the coming winters.
The Security of Supply Programme of actions contains a number of both demand and supply side mitigation measures to address the forecasted shortfall of capacity, if no action was taken, from 2021 to 2026.
These actions include;
• procurement of new, enduring capacity through a number of capacity auctions;
• procuring additional temporary generation;
• extending the availability of existing generation capacity;
• additional use of grid-scale batteries;
• and improved demand side measures.
The CRU is continuing to work with key stakeholders to implement additional appropriate mitigation measures to further reduce risks and lower peak demand during this time. The latest Work Update up to February 2023 is available on CRU’s website (www.cru.ie/publications/27388/).
In the case of vulnerable citizens, there are existing measures in place via ESB’s Vulnerable Customer Policy, which supports vulnerable customers in the event of a loss of supply (www.esbnetworks.ie/who-we-are/customer-service/vulnerable-customer-policy).
