Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 19 December 2018
471. Deputy Eugene Murphy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the amount of electricity generated each year by each of the dams here; the percentage of the electricity requirement that comes from each of the dams operational here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53785/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraDetails of the installed capacity of electricity generation plant for each of the dams are listed on the websites of the Transmission System Operator (TSO) and the Distribution System Operator (DSO) available at: www.eirgridgroup.com/ and www.esbnetworks.ie/ respectively.
The installed capacity of the larger hydro plants is available in Appendix 2 (page 56) of the All-Island Generation Capacity Statement 20 18-2027 report published by EirGrid also.
In terms of 2017, the table below sets out the scale of generation, in Giga Watt hours, at a number of the electricity generation points:
|
2017 |
Hydro generation (GWh) |
|
Ardnacrusha |
304 |
|
Erne |
269 |
|
Liffey |
21 |
|
Lee |
49 |
|
Other Small Scale Hydro |
49 |
|
Total 2017 |
692 |
Eirgrid have estimated that there was a total of approximately 238 MW of hydroelectric power plant connected to the national grid in 2017.
In relation to the distribution grid, it is estimated that there is currently 22 MW of small-scale hydro capacity installed in rivers and streams across Ireland. Such plant made up 0.2% of total annual generation in 2017. While this is a mature technology, the lack of suitable new locations limits any increased contribution from this source.
The Energy in Ireland 2018 report published by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland estimates that hydropower generated electricity made up 2.4% of total electricity generated in 2017. Furthermore, the report notes that a 21.1% increase in wind generation and a 1.6% increase in hydro generation in 2017 led to the carbon intensity of electricity falling to a new low of 437 g CO2/kWh.
