Ms Aoife MacEvilly:

On the gas infrastructure options, we are not aware of an immediate risk of failure at Moffat. There would be a programme of work by Gas Networks Ireland to ensure constantly from a safety and security perspective that that infrastructure is in good condition and maintained to a high standard. Not long ago, we invested in twinning with part of the infrastructure in Scotland to ensure security of supply. Ms Kavanagh will comment on gas price control but we will seek to ensure there is ongoing support to ensure Moffat is kept in good repair. We always have to be prepared for unexpected events and those can range. It can be really bad weather, for example, which reduces supply on the UK market.

The last time that happened was during the “Beast from the East”. It can be infrastructure failures that were unintended, or a ship dropping an anchor on one of the offshore interconnectors. From a security of supply perspective, there is a variety of events for which we must constantly be prepared.

In terms of the alternatives for the N-1 standard I completely agree that we should be optimising the use of infrastructure that is there and can be used. As members are probably aware Kinsale is hydrocarbon-free; it has been decommissioned. At its peak it could have delivered approximately 5% of Irish gas demand, which could contribute to the N-1 standard but would not on its own deliver that. Given that the gas cushion storage has been blown down effectively, it would require new infrastructure and a very significant investment to put the gas back into that storage facility. It might be cheaper to deliver onshore gas infrastructure with import through various routes.

I have also read about using the Corrib field in a different way. I am not sure that has been done or that anyone has spelled out exactly what that means. I would simply point out that it is a commercial operation and at the moment it delivers approximately 25% of our needs. That is declining over time. Even if we stopped using the gas that is there, which is what is being suggested, in order that it is a back-up in the case of a gas emergency, it still would not deliver the complete alternative to Moffat. Again, I have only read those reports in the newspaper.