Mr. Nicholas Tarrant:

The main question for ESB Networks in the Chair's questions was around the split of responsibilities between ourselves and EirGrid to do with offshore wind. ESB Networks has three licences from the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU. One is as distribution system operator, the second is as distribution asset owner and then as onshore transmission asset owner. EirGrid as the transmissions system operator also has responsibility for the ownership of the assets that are offshore. The key interface for ESB Networks when it comes to offshore wind is when those transmission projects come onshore and there is a need for onshore reinforcement of transmission to enable that electricity to come onshore and then be transmitted and distributed around the country.

For the transmission projects onshore, what we see, as Mr. Finnegan mentioned, is that there are approximately 350 transmission projects to be delivered. Some of those projects are on the east coast for the first phase of the offshore wind projects to reinforce the transmission network onshore. When those projects are brought forward by EirGrid once consents, including landowner consents, are established, they then come to ESB Networks for procurement, design and construction, so we have a major role to enable offshore wind but it is on the onshore transmission assets.