Ms Aoife MacEvilly:

It is not simply a technical matter. It is a matter of strategic national importance that we are critically reliant on a single point of failure. That is what the n-1 standard is all about. We do not want a single point of failure on a critical system in any context. In recent years, because Corrib is in decline, because Kinsale has closed and because no new licences are being given for offshore exploration and production, we are actually turning back to being increasingly dependent on this critical piece of infrastructure, this single point of failure. At the same time, we are getting rid of peat, coal and oil in our power generation mix and so we are basically becoming a renewable and gas-only power system. It is a lower carbon approach to delivering electricity. Of course, with the electrification of heating and transport, electricity is increasingly important. Having that single point of failure on the system, regardless of the legal framework around it, represents a strategic risk for Ireland.