Government criticised for approving plans to use gas-powered generators

Sinn Féin spokesperson on Climate Justice, Senator Lynn Boylan, said the timing of the publication was "tone deaf".

"How can we be expected to take the Minister's words on climate action seriously when his actions are doing the opposite?

"Government policy has facilitated the proliferation of data centres in this country with no consideration of how those developments will impact on our energy supply or our emissions targets.

"Now it is clear that Government policy is coming home to roost with the CRU identifying a shortfall in energy supply for this coming Winter that will need to be bridged by fossil fuels. Instead of emergency climate action, we have a situation whereby we need emergency sources of fossil fuels."

Mr Ryan said in his letter approving the establishment of up to six generators on a north Dublin site that they were needed to avoid "a likely and substantial risk to the security of supply" this winter.

A spokesperson for Minister Ryan said that the Government aims to use more renewable energy in the coming years, saying that as the country reaches 70% renewable energy, use of fossil fuels will decrease.

"Output from the Corrib gas field and the use of peat as an energy source are both decreasing. Renewable energy is planned to grow significantly and will become the principal source of indigenous energy in the coming years. 

"The level of renewable energy is planned to increase in the electricity sector (from wind and solar generation), the heat sector (through the use of heat pumps, biomass and biogas) and the transport sector (through the use of renewable electricity and renewable fuels such as biofuels and green hydrogen)."

Meanwhile, the cost of the purchase by EirGrid of emergency generators to avert an electricity supply crisis and possible rolling blackouts this winter should not contribute to any potential electricity price increases, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) said. EirGrid had warned the CRU that the cost of emergency generators would add up to €2 a month to bills.

In a statement, the CRU said the expected cost of securing the emergency generators has been included in transmission tariffs that will apply to all customer groups from October 1.

“While this put upward pressure on transmission costs, which make up about 8% of a typical residential customer’s bill, the increase was mitigated by other adjustments and a reduction in distribution charges, so the overall net change in average network charges is expected to be a 0.2% reduction and therefore network charges should not be a specific driver for retail price increases this October,” it said.

But it added that consumer bills also depend on other factors such as wholesale market costs, capacity market costs, the PSO Levy and other system costs.

“The network costs are charged to suppliers who may choose how, or whether, to pass them on to customers,” it said.

Fine Gael Cork city councillor, Damian Boylan, who works for an energy supplier, said he would have concerns that the cost of responding to this electricity supply crisis will be passed on to consumers.

He said the bottom line is that Ireland does not have enough electricity generation capacity to meet demand and is at the mercy of international markets.