Ireland’s supplies ‘in tight situation’
ENERGY supplies in Ireland are entering a “very tight situation” that could last up to four years, Eamon Ryan says.
Supplier EirGrid is set to release a report warning it will be unable to generate enough electricity in the coming years to meet a rapid increase in demand, according to the Sunday Business Post.
Earlier this year, it was warned the country could face rolling blackouts this winter due to energy shortages, but these fears were allayed by news that two major electricity plants will reopen in the autumn.
Plans
The Green Party leader and Minister for the Environment, Transport and Climate Eamon Ryan said that while the situation remains “very tight”, contingency plans are in place and “we will be able to manage it”.
Minister Ryan said yesterday: “There is a real issue. It has been very tight, it is very tight.
“Even the next number of weeks before those stations ( Whitegate and Huntstown power plants) come back up, we have a very tight supply issue.
“But we have a path, we know what we need to do. It’s both managing demand and supply.”
He said the focus at both EU and Irish levels will be managing renewable energy supplies.
Wind
“Wind power at sea is huge. There’s real potential for us to tap into that, and be able to power not just industry, but transport, heat, a whole range of different needs. As we develop that we need balancing power and a lot of that will be battery.”
The minister added:
“It’s a very tight situation for the next two to three, four years, while we build up some of those battery and gas-fired back-up systems.”
Mr Ryan also said that despite the challenges, he remains confident “that we can meet our climate change targets”.