Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 April 2024
181. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications how many times EirGrid has issued a demand to large energy users to reduce their consumption to maintain grid stability in each month over the past year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16556/24]
View answerThere are a range of measures and policies being pursued in order to encourage energy demand flexibility across all sectors of society.
Under the Climate Action Plan 2023 (CAP23), the Government has committed to a new National Energy Demand Strategy being put in place. The aim of this strategy is that 20% to 30% of electricity would be flexible by 2030 (with a 15%-20% requirement by 2025).
Large Energy Users (LEUs) will be expected to make up a higher proportional contribution to the target, as they are making up a high proportion of the increase in electricity demand. The strategy, which is led by the Commission of Regulation of Utilities (CRU) is focused on three areas, Smart Services, Demand Flexibility and Response, and New Demand Connections.
The CRU also has a programme of actions underway to ensure the security of our electricity supply over the coming winters. An update on the Electricity Security of Supply Programme of Actions was published in October which can be found here: www.cru.ie/publications/27004/.
EirGrid and ESB-Networks operate a Mandatory Demand Curtailment (MDC) process that is applicable to all demand customers connected at 110kV and above. A MDC instruction is only issued in the event of a power system emergency to ensure grid stability. The power system did not approach or enter an Emergency State this winter. EirGrid has also confirmed that no MDC instructions were issued in the last year.
Some Large Energy Users do however participate voluntarily in the electricity market by offering demand for reduction on a commercial basis by third-party aggregators, as Demand Side Units (DSUs). These DSUs would have been dispatched at various times throughout the winter by the System Operator as a normal market-based measure to balance demand and supply.
