Vol. 527 No. 1
27 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Public Enterprise if the ESB has advised her, or officials in her Department, of any difficulties within the past month with electricity supply in view of the existing electricity generating capacity; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27653/00]
I refer the Deputy to my reply to Priority Question No. 22, which I gave earlier.
Is the Minister aware that a red alert occurred last week; that the Tarbert station, with 500 megawatts, went down last Tuesday; that Poolbeg, with 270 megawatts, is being overhauled and that it is over the deadline for being back in commission; that companies that have special contracts with the ESB for electricity supply are being switched off now to prevent blackout; that the imported generators are all already in full use; that no new station will come onstream until 2002; and that we remain dependent on the interconnector with Northern Ireland?
I am aware of the red alert and Poolbeg. I read out the background note on Poolbeg. It was most unfortunate what happened there. The major problem there occurred with welding in the boiler tubes. The outside contractor has accepted full responsibility for the problem. The ESB aims to have that unit operational again by the end of December or early January. Deputy Stagg will be glad to know, because he was involved in the IVO in Edenderry – and I am delighted Deputy Dukes accepted the invitation to come along to it – that that has come onstream into the grid exactly six months ahead of schedule, which was a remarkable achievement. It will provide 122 megawatts to the grid.
If a person tells me something, I usually take him at his word. The chairman of the ESB gave me a categoric assurance that there would not be a shortfall this winter.
Customers are being switched off.
I must take him at his word.
A brief supplementary from Deputy Stagg.
We have more time for supplementaries on this question as the Minister did not use her time to read the reply because she had already answered it. Does the Minister agree that the benefit of the Europeat station has already been wiped out by the shortfalls that have been described? Does she agree we are now reduced to hauling circus generators around the country to try to keep lights going?
The reason this occurred is that since 1997 the Minister, Deputy O'Rourke, was requested to authorise the ESB to proceed with the Ringsend plant. The ESB proceeded to seek planning permission without her approval or despite her lack of approval. She withheld capital approval and gas was not allocated to this new station until last month. They could not proceed because of that. At all stages, the Minister blocked the ESB from building the power station. It will be two years before that station is complete. We will have two more winters to get over—
Deputy Stagg has asked his question.
—as a result of the Minister's inaction and her activity in blocking the building of required power stations.
I think the Deputy knows the answer to that quite well. There was a legal thing and the Attorney General advised me fully—
If there was a legal thing, why it is not there now?
Deputy Stagg must allow the Minister to answer without interruption.
That is rubbish – how is it that we can do it now?
I will make available—
How can it be done now?
Deputy Stagg, we want order during Question Time.
We want truth on Question Time.
Total untruths have been told. The ESB is well aware of the legal documents between the Attorney General's office and my office, which at each step of the way—
It was a piece of rubbish, as proven by the fact the Minister has reversed the decision.
Deputy Stagg, please.
—constrained me. The ESB is also aware that both Europe—
Nonsense.
Does Deputy Stagg not want to hear the answer?
I have heard it before.
Will the Deputy allow me to answer him?
Will Deputy Stagg allow the Minister answer the question?
Inactivity is the cause of this.
We must have order on Question Time.
Am I to be allowed reply?
The Minister has been replying on this for the past three years but she has done nothing about it.
Deputy Stagg, if you do not obey the Chair there is only one option, that is to ask you to leave. We want an orderly Question Time. The Minister is entitled to reply. There are other ways to ask a question.
I am entitled to reply without being bullied.
Inactivity is the cause of this problem. The Minister is not doing anything about it. She is not doing her job.
If there are any further interruptions from you, Deputy Stagg, I will ask you to leave the House. That is final.
Bullying is a fair trait in the Deputy's character.
She is a fair hand at bullying, but she is not good at doing her job.
Deputy Stagg, confine your remarks to the Chair.
On a point of order, I call on the Minister not to make abusive remarks in my direction. I need your protection, Sir.
The Deputy calls for protection. That is a powerful request.
The Minister is being funny while the lights go out.
There are no lights going out.
They are going out.
The ESB chairman has assured me on this matter. If requested I will make available to the Deputy all of the docu ments from the Office of the Attorney General. The ESB is in receipt of further documents which will show that the position of the plant is now being thoroughly and legally investigated. It will show strongly the constraints to which I was subjected, and continue to be legally.
Why did the Minister not make a decision?
(Mayo): Does the Minister not accept that what Deputy Stagg says is true and that the country faces a major power crisis? Is she not aware from the figures supplied by the ESB that in the past 12 months alone there have been two red alerts and 46 amber alerts? Is she not also aware that this is a relatively industrialised country using a transmission system designed primarily for an agricultural economy?
Furthermore, is she not aware that many inward investment projects are effectively barred from large parts of the country? For example, no industrial projects of any significance can be located in a line west of Cavan to Galway because of inadequate supply in the grid. Does she not accept that when the ESB is tendering to be a shareholder in the largest state power conglomerate in Poland, it would be far better keeping the home fires burning and looking after the national supply?
I agree with the Deputy. There used to be a saying in my Department to the effect that you stick to your knitting. I would be inclined to say to the ESB, "Keep the home fires burning before you spread your wings".
Has the Minister been advised of the difficulties that occurred in Cork in the last month when there was a power cut for a few minutes, necessitating the shut down of large industries, including IFI, Irish Refining and Irish Ispat?
I am aware of that.
What happened?
I understand it occurred for similar reasons outlined in a previous answer I gave Deputy Jim Higgins. It arose because of the work of a contractor within the area. I am also aware of the difficulties in the greater Cork area. The Deputy and I have commented on those on several occasions. I do not know if there has been a further resolution.
Would the Minister accept responsibility for this matter? It has arisen because of her inactivity.
Bullying, bullying.
Deputy Stagg, we have spent eight minutes on this question. We must proceed to the next question. The Chair does not have a choice in the matter.
