EirGrid has issued a final call for people to “shape their electricity future”.
Hours remain before the 14-week nationwide consultation on the operator’s report detailing ways to meet 2030 renewable energy targets closes at midnight (Monday, June 14).
The company, along with Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan, launched the Shaping Our Electricity Future initiative in March.
Transform the electricity system
Over the past three months, EirGrid has held workshops, meetings and fora across the country to gather feedback in one of the largest public consultations of its type to have taken place in the state.
EirGrid has been asked by the government to “transform the electricity system in anticipation of a future without coal, oil, peat and ultimately one with net zero emissions”.
Specifically, it must redevelop the grid to manage 70% of Ireland’s electricity coming from renewable sources by 2030.
Mark Foley, chief executive of EirGrid said that the grid requires “unprecedented change in the next 10 years”.
“This transition to clean electricity will affect everyone in Ireland and will unquestionably be difficult. However, the benefits will be truly transformative at both a societal and an economic level,” Foley added.
Submissions received
To date, there have been approximately 200 public submissions and a number of themes are emerging. They are:
- The role of microgeneration and the possibility of domestic customers generating their own electricity and exporting the surplus on to the ESB Networks system;
- New and emerging technologies and their future role, including hydro, nuclear, hydrogen, biomass and batteries;
- The recent growth in the data centre sector and its impact on energy consumption;
- Power security and the reliability of a grid based on wind and solar energy;
- The cost of achieving the 2030 renewable targets;
- The merits of putting electricity infrastructure underground;
- Possible community benefit initiatives;
- Concerns regarding the impact of local grid infrastructure projects.
It is anticipated that the final strategy will be published by the end of this year.