Ms Jenny Pyper:

Yes. Essentially, AES has agreed to refurbish a number of old units and bring them back into service as a temporary measure, but it is an expensive way of ensuring security of supply.

From the all-island perspective, it is not just the security of supply issues that are of concern post-2020 or 2021. As Mr. Blaney has said, we are working to create a new integrated single electricity market to meet European requirements. The North-South interconnector is an essential element in allowing the efficiencies of an integrated market to flow. In respect of a plan B, if we do not have the second North-South interconnector in place, it will have implications in terms of the design of the integrated single electricity market and could risk introducing further inefficiencies into the market design, which would add to costs for consumers North and South.