Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 16 January 2018

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment

Energy Policy: Discussion

5:00 pm

Mr. Peter Harte:

I will be very brief. Curtailment is something the wind industry has worked with over a number of years. It is at a relatively low level of 3% to 4% currently and is projected to go to perhaps 5% by 2020. It is by no means a limit on how much wind can be put on the system. EirGrid's own good work on flexibility measures, the electrification of heat and transport in future, the provision of additional interconnection and, in due course, the provision of storage will mean we can get to 2030 at the 70% level. We have done the work ourselves and EirGrid will back it up. I think the regulator would see the same sort of numbers. We can get to 2030 also with no lower amount of curtailment. In due course, if solar goes to high levels, it will find the same problems. We have a very clear vision that we can get to 70% without high curtailment by 2030. Certainly, the onshore resource alone could probably get us there, but in due course the mix will no doubt widen to solar and offshore. We look forward to that day.