Dáil Éireann Debate, Monday - 11 September 2023
158. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will provide an update on the Government’s plans to develop energy storage as part of Ireland’s 2030 targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38671/23]
View answerElectricity storage plays a critical role in providing flexibility to the electricity system by facilitating the integration of renewable generation, supporting the grid, and shifting electricity to the time when it is most needed. We have already seen tremendous progress in terms of the deployment of electricity storage in Ireland, with more than 600MW of batteries currently active on the system and 292 MW of pumped hydro storage (Turlough Hill).
Under the Climate Action Plan 2023, my Department has committed to developing an Electricity Storage Policy Framework by Q3 2023. To help inform the development of the final framework, my Department held a public consultation which closed on the 27th January. As part of the consultation process, my Department also ran an industry stakeholder event to further discuss the key issues/questions raised within the consultation.
The responses to the public consultation have now been analysed and a Summary Report was published in May. My Department is now in the process of preparing the final Framework and is engaging closely with key stakeholders including Government Departments, State agencies and industry experts to that end.
