Mr. Jim Gannon:

Yes, we included times of surge or challenge but we also included criteria around constraint in local areas which does address some of those more general security of supply concerns. Again, we are in receipt of periodic reporting from EirGrid to see how that is bearing out and how that measure is working. It does address the longer term development of data centres. It sends a signal.

A separate piece that also sends a signal is the new Government policy statement on data centres which outlines a number of messages to data centres on the types of centre, their behaviour and their contribution to the market and acknowledges some of the security of supply challenges that they may pose. Again, that policy statement has been read, I assume, by data centre developers and will be acknowledged in how they pursue their interests in the country.

The Senator asked another question around short-term measures. In the shorter term we will be relying on retained older plant and will be seeking to use temporary emergency generation that will be fossil-fired. We will also be seeking back-up generation, when we need it, from large energy users and these will be fossil-fired. It is a consequence of the fact that we are facing a challenge in the shorter term. The measures will only be called upon when we do not have renewables feeding the system. Renewables will always be used more. We will continue to redouble all of the efforts to bring more renewables on. Batteries will continue to increase on the system. These can take excess renewable energy and use it at appropriate times. EirGrid's programme includes a significant increase in the amount of wind we can take onto the system at any point in time and is world leading in that respect. Importantly, this year there is likely to be record levels of connection of new renewable generation onto the grid of approximately 780 MW, beating previous records of about 540 MW. All of that effort to bring more renewables onto the system and to increase the level of renewables will continue so that we use fossil alternatives less and less as time goes on.