Michelle Mulherin (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for the evidence they have given us today. In response to Mr. Wheeler's three priorities, I would like to refer to his third priority, which is that Ireland must recommit to meeting its energy targets and must provide certainty to investors so that we can reach the targets. What does the witness specifically have in mind in that regard? We are obviously bound to certain targets anyway. As the witness said himself, the Minister, Deputy Naughten, is trying to achieve these along with the whole of Government. I also want to ask about the EU renewables directive that was published in November 2016. How will that impact on what we are discussing here today in terms of targets in the context of Brexit?

Mr. Wheeler mentioned that he is also engaged in conventional energy generation. On the renewable side, particularly wind, how are things progressing with regard to storage in order to allow more wind energy to be used? It may be more of a question for EirGrid, but I know that in the recent past when it was more topical to talk about transmissions and pylons and stuff like that, there was a lot of talk about smart grid technology and maximising the capacity that is there. Is that assisting in this? I know that there is a question mark over Grid West, for example. Perhaps Mr. Doyle could comment on the position in that regard.

I know that we have electricity targets. Is SSE Airtricity involved in any way in transport or heat targets or in meeting our carbon emissions reduction targets? Internationally, with the exception of the US, which we will know more about today, there is commitment at official and political level, which Mr. Doyle mentioned, to the decarbonisation of our economies. Closer to home, we have had issues with the delivery of electricity infrastructure such as pylons, transmission infrastructure and wind farms. The general view is that the biggest obstacle for us achieving our carbon emissions reductions, specifically our renewable electricity targets, is community acceptance. I am from a part of the country in which there is a big resource with regard to wind, wave and other renewable energies. I wonder what are Mr. Doyle's thoughts as we go forward. It seems to me that many of the projects, especially transmission projects, are slightly in limbo at the moment. How do we go forward to make sure that the infrastructure we need is delivered and that people are engaged with it in order for it to be seen as a common good rather than people having concerns about having a pylon or a wind farm in their back yard?

At this point, I would like to compliment SSE Airtricity. I am familiar with a number of its wind farms. It seems to have overcome that obstacle of community acceptance in areas in which it has operated more so than some of the State companies that are involved in renewable energy, which seem to have the communities and localities that are required to take on this infrastructure up in arms. There is the whole idea of community gain as well. Where are we going with that? How can we make the people who have the burden of this electricity infrastructure, which to me for the most part is the visual impact of it as opposed to anything else, see how are they distinguished and see how they gain? As opposed to that, Dublin city is going to benefit because a wind farm is built, though it will not have to have a wind farm or a biomass power station. Dublin does not have to take on this type of infrastructure, yet it will benefit. How do we recalibrate that and allow people to understand and believe that their concerns are being taken on board?

With regard to the proposed interconnection of the grid with France, who would pay for that? Is there provision in the EU in line with ramping up the use of renewables in order that we could be assisted in some way in funding this type of venture?

In the more medium to long term, what will electricity prices look like for the domestic consumer? Much of it comes back to that. If we can say to people that after initial investment in wind, biomass or whatever it is, once the cost of it is supported, we are ultimately going to see energy prices coming down, it would be a very hopeful message to send out from a committee such as this. What is the future for electricity prices not just for the domestic consumer, but also for business consumers?