Energy blackouts more likely this year than last
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The chance of energy blackouts is more likely this year than it was in 2021, an Oireachtas committee has heard.
Ireland’s energy watchdog, the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU), grid operator EirGrid, and Energy Minister Eamon Ryan all appeared before a lengthy hearing of the Oireachtas climate change committee amid an increase in system warnings — alerts that the buffer between what is produced and what is demanded are narrow.
EirGrid’s chief operations officer Rodney Doyle said the risk of outages, of which there were none last year, was slightly higher this year, particularly if generators do not come back online on a day-to-day basis.
"The key impacts, when we have shortages because the wind does not blow, are the trading activities we undertake with our colleagues in Great Britain who we speak to every winter, and right through the year in advance of the winter to come, about their planned availability and their situation.
"Our control centre runs 365 days and 24-7 looking at the issues that arise on the system. The women and men in the control centre are there every day throughout the winter looking at the issue because generators will come and go on a particular day.
"It is similar to last year but slightly worse in that if units do not come back, we will be approximately 280MW short. In any year, that will then depend on whether a unit comes in or comes out. Units will come back before the winter but, of course, there could be issues with other units as well."
Mr Doyle told the committee the country did "not lose a single megawatt" of energy production last year, but said there was a "heightened risk" of outages.
EirGrid chief executive Mark Foley told the committee he could not guarantee there would not be blackouts this winter, with the production of wind energy likely the deciding factor.
“Neither I, nor anyone else here before you today can offer a cast-iron guarantee for this winter. I can say that we are very well prepared and when the wind blows, we will not have issues. T
CRU chair Aoife MacEvilly said 920,000 smart meters have been installed in the country in recent years. She said these would allow customers avoid peak-rate charges.
"All prices are going up for all customers at a level we have not seen before. That is of significant concern for all of us.
The hearing also saw some disagreement between the CRU and EirGrid on the impact of data centres on energy demand.
Ms MacEvilly said she "respectfully disagrees with some aspects of Mr Foley’s opening statement", adding "we know that growing data centre demand is a challenge".
"That has been clear from advice that we have received from those at EirGrid, including in letters they wrote to us, which lay behind our imposition of a new data centre direction in terms of connecting data centres. We think it is part of the challenge."
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