Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 September 2012
269. Deputy Jack Wall asked the Minister for Communications; Energy and Natural Resources in relation to his Department's and the Commission for Energy Regulation energy policy, if he will indicate when gate four offers will be accepted by the respective bodies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40525/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraSupervision of the grid connection process, including access to offers, is the statutory responsibility of the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER). There is no Gate 4 at present and this area will not be developed until the uptake of Gate 3 offers is clearer.
The current round of offers for connection to the electricity networks is known as Gate 3. 3900 MW of offers was issued by the System Operators (EirGrid for connection to the transmission system and ESB Networks for connection to the distribution system) in 2010 and 2011 in line with policy and rules set out by the CER. These offers are currently being considered by the developers who have received an offer. Some developers have accepted their offer, however, the majority have not accepted (or indeed rejected) their offer yet. This is because developers do not have to accept or reject their offer until they receive their final constraint and curtailment report from EirGrid.
These reports cannot be developed until the Single Electricity Market Committee (SEMC) policy on tie-breaks in dispatch has been completed. This piece of all island work involves examining the appropriate rule-set to share the burden of constraints and curtailment. The SEMC has made a decision (SM-11-105) in relation to constraints but is still considering the appropriate course of action in relation to curtailment of wind. It is likely that this policy will be completed by end 2012 or early 2013. This will then allow EirGrid to prepare the constraint and curtailment reports, issue them to all Gate 3 developers and for developers to then accept or reject their offer.
Following this, there will be a good indication of the level of Gate 3 offers being accepted by developers. The policy on any future Gate beyond that will consider issues such as the level of capacity available on the networks, Ireland’s progress towards meeting its 2020 renewable targets when Gate 3 contribution is considered and the appropriate connection rules in order to ensure efficient connection to the networks. The CER will carry out full consultations on all aspects of Gate 4 policy at the appropriate time.
