Mr. Noel Cunniffe:

On behalf of Wind Energy Ireland, I thank the committee for the invitation to appear before it. I acknowledge and commend its recent work in helping to produce and strengthen a climate Bill which puts Ireland on a path to net-zero emissions and mandates a 51% reduction in emissions over the next decade.

I am accompanied by my colleagues, Justin Moran, who is our head of public affairs, and Paul Blount, who is the portfolio director at Coillte and who is here in his capacity as chairperson of our 70by30 policy committee.

Wind Energy Ireland is Ireland’s largest representative body for renewable energy, with more than 150 members. Wind energy has transformed Ireland’s electricity system over the past ten years, cutting millions of tonnes of CO2 emissions every year – 4 million tonnes in 2019 alone – and steadily reducing our dependency on imported fossil fuels. We are proud of the contribution our members have made but it was only possible by the work of EirGrid, ESB Networks and the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, in developing the grid and integrating renewable energy.

It is to the credit of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Rya’s, that the policies he put in place when last in government enabled us to develop the onshore wind sector, which last year produced 38% of our electricity. This makes us number one in the world for the share of electricity demand met by onshore wind and it ensured we exceeded our 2020 renewable electricity target. We are also a major contributor to Ireland’s economy. The recent Economic Impact of Onshore Wind in Ireland report from KPMG showed that onshore wind energy is supporting more than 5,000 jobs and is worth more than €400 million annually to our economy. Both of these figures will rise.

As we develop onshore wind, it will be alongside an entirely new industry. Offshore wind energy has the potential to transform our energy system and our economy. It is a multibillion euro opportunity for coastal communities and will deliver unprecedented savings in carbon emissions. This achievement puts us in a strong position to meet our 2030 ambitions. The 2019 climate action plan and the programme for Government set out ambitious goals of developing 5 GW of offshore wind and doubling our onshore wind capacity to 8.2 GW by 2030. I wish to take the opportunity this morning to commend Deputy Bruton on his work in developing and delivering the 2019 climate action plan.

We know we have the pipeline of projects to achieve these targets but the most significant challenge we face is whether the grid will be strong enough to integrate this renewable energy. Last year, Wind Energy Ireland published a series of four reports known as the 70by30 implementation plan, which set out what needs to happen across planning, grid and market policy to decarbonise our electricity supply. Implementing those four reports gives us our best chance of reaching our 2030 targets. I want to focus today on the Saving Power report, which sets out how to integrate more renewable energy onto the grid.

Last year, more than 10% of renewable generation was lost because the grid could not accommodate it. In the first six months of last year alone, enough renewable energy was lost to power all of Galway city for a year. We need a complete redesign and reinforcement of the transmission system, with a focus on parts of the country where large volumes of renewable energy will be developed. Our fossil fuel back-up generation must be replaced with zero-carbon solutions such as demand response and energy storage.

An electricity grid and market designed for fossil fuel generators are not suitable for a future where most of our electricity comes from wind and solar. We must reform the market to ensure the new system we are building is efficient and cost-effective.

Implementing these reports and developing the electricity grid will not be easy. We must work with and listen to communities who will be hosting new wind farms or new grid infrastructure. We must ensure they are empowered to be part of our energy transition and we must find ways to adapt, where we can, to meet their concerns. The reality, however, is that we will not decarbonise our electricity system without new overhead lines, underground cables, substations, battery projects, wind farms and solar farms. The public and political support must be there to enable EirGrid and ESB Networks to deliver the infrastructure we need to decarbonise Ireland. Without it, we will fail.

We look forward to playing our part in EirGrid’s Shaping Our Electricity Future consultation and the Government’s consultation on the 2021 climate action plan. To inform our contributions, we engaged energy consultants, Baringa Partners, to analyse how the electricity sector could deliver even more CO2 savings. Initial results show it is possible to reduce power sector emissions to at least below two million tonnes of CO2 by 2030, which is less than half that envisaged by the climate action plan. This will require EirGrid and ESB Networks to deliver essential grid reinforcements and to continue their world-leading success in integrating renewables onto the power system, thus enabling us to go beyond 70% renewable electricity by 2030.

We look forward to engaging with EirGrid, the committee and the Department when the analysis is complete. Finally, I note that we recently published our Our Climate Neutral Future: Zero by 50 report, developed for us by UCC MaREI. This is a call to action for every level of Irish society. The report sets out our pathway to becoming energy independent and delivering warmer homes, cleaner air and tens of thousands of new jobs. We can decarbonise our energy system while building a foundation for the Irish economy and our society based on zero carbon energy. Delivering this future will require unprecedented leadership and it will not happen unless we can bring people with us by showing them the benefits of a truly just transition. Our members can and will rise to the challenge.