Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

We should also try to co-ordinate a grid in planning, although there will still be difficulties with the timelines.

I was reminded that one of Mr. Donnellan's distant predecessors appeared in one of these rooms and said the maximum amount of renewable power we would ever get in the system was 800 MW, after which it would be extremely dangerous. As Mr. Donnellan said in his presentation, however, almost 5,000 MW is interconnected.

This morning, I read with interest the World Energy Outlook on where the world is going. It was interesting that it said the world needs to go in the direction in which EirGrid is going in terms of the level of capability, variables, renewables, integration, the diselectrification of everything and our prospects. It gives me great pleasure to say the men and women of EirGrid are climate heroes. They have done important and internationally significant work on this, the very centre of the clean industrial revolution. The exciting thing is that we are only starting and that EirGrid needs to proceed confident in its abilities and our abilities as a country to do it. EirGrid is one of the few examples where we can truly say we are world leaders, and it is not in a insignificant area. The World Energy Outlook said that what EirGrid is doing is the key to success in decarbonising our energy system, which is why its employees are heroes. If there was a Légion d'Honneur, for example, in our country, I would stick it on the breast of every EirGrid executive and worker, and that is from someone who always harangues people before this committee. It is a good opportunity if we proceed with that can-do spirit.

I am glad to hear the target for instantaneous interconnection is 75%. Last month, David Connolly and others from the Irish Wind Energy Association presented a paper in which they said we should aim for an average rate of renewable energy of 70% by 2030, using a mix of offshore, solar, onshore, storage and other capabilities.

Whatever about the 75% instantaneous capability, can the 70% average be done by 2030?