Mr. Rodney Doyle:

I thank the Acting Chairman and members of the committee for the opportunity to appear again today to give members an update on our perspective on the impact of Brexit on the electricity system on the island of Ireland. This discussion will also allow us to update the committee on some of the potential solutions it identified in its report of July 2017, which was compiled after we appeared before it.

EirGrid Group is a State-owned transmission system operator on the island of Ireland. We operate the transmission system both in the North, through the System Operator of Northern Ireland, SONI, and in the South. We are charged with developing the high-voltage electricity grid to cater for the demands of society and the economy. We also operate the electricity market on the island of Ireland. In this regard, we work closely with the ESB in the Republic, and with Northern Ireland Electricity Networks, NIE, in the North on delivering that mandate. In addition to ensuring security of supply, we also play an integral role in delivering decarbonisation through the successful integration of ever-increasing levels of renewables into the system.

In the climate action plan published by the Government during the summer, we have been tasked with progressing and delivering on a number of key areas. The most significant of those responsibilities include increasing the level of renewables on the grid to 70%; ensuring an appropriate auction and grid regime is designed to support the development of offshore wind; and a commitment to deliver further electrical interconnection to facilitate Ireland’s target for renewable electricity by 2030, which I will touch on later. Work across these work streams and others has commenced and is making significant progress. The most high-profile of these initiatives is the Celtic interconnector which will link the electrical grids of Ireland and France. It is worth noting that the Celtic interconnector was a potential solution identified by members of this committee in its July 2017 report. My colleague, Mr. Mahon, will now discuss the specifics of the interconnector.