Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Tuesday, 18 October 2022
Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment
Estimates for Public Services 2022 (Supplementary)
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Yes, in Tarbet, TB3 is at half capacity and TB4 is apparently not operational. There has been a significant reduction following the fire. One has to remember that Tarbert is a very old facility. It dates back to the 1960s, I believe. Plants such as Tarbert and Moneypoint, particularly in a market with a very significant renewables element, are not easily ramped up and down. Therefore, there is a constraint. We cannot rely on these plants. We will have to switch away from the use of coal and heavy fuel oil. We will use these in the interim as part of an emergency backup response but we cannot guarantee the use of the plants in the future.