Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I can confirm that I was able to make several changes to REFIT 1 and 2 which I announced this morning at the spring conference of the Irish Wind Energy Association and that they will meet the requests that Deputy Mulherin has been making to me for some time in respect of the operation of REFIT. They will also greatly enhance the installed capacity in the seven or eight years to 2020 which should put us in a position to meet our targets comfortably. As Deputy Mulherin knows it is EirGrid's role, as the national transmission system operator, to develop and upgrade the transmission system in order to meet ongoing and future electricity needs.

The European smart grid task force defined a smart grid as "an electricity network that can cost effectively integrate the behaviour and actions of all users connected to it - those who generate, those who consume and those who do both - in order to ensure an economically efficient, sustainable power system with low losses and high levels of quality and security of supply and safety".

Smart grids are not smart meters and vice versa. However, smart grids can include smart meters. Simply put, smart grids are electrical networks which have intelligence built into them in order to enable more efficient operation of the entire electricity supply system and to facilitate distributed, embedded generation and demand control measures. They are enabling for the system operator and also for generators and electricity customers. The smart grid is a key enabler of a future low carbon electricity system that facilitates demand side efficiency, increases the share of renewable and distributed generation and enables consumer participation.

I understand that EirGrid has recently provided the Deputy with a briefing on how the overall Grid25 strategy will include the deployment, where appropriate, of smart grid technologies that will help system operators use grid infrastructure more efficiently. EirGrid's Grid25 programme is a series of projects to upgrade the current electricity system while continuing to operate and maintain a safe, secure and reliable system. EirGrid has extensive work under way in the smart grid sphere, including its involvement in the Smart Grid Innovation Hub in a collaborative initiative by EirGrid and the National Digital Research Centre, NDRC, and in the EirGrid announcement of demonstration projects in the smart grid sector, as well as through EirGrid's DS3 programme in the facilitation of renewables area, for delivering a secure, sustainable electricity system.

EirGrid is also continuing to implement and trial smart grid technologies such as real-time condition monitoring tools, advanced demand side management techniques for example, smart devices in the home, extensive use of ICT infrastructure to communicate from the National Control Centre to key grid users and use of innovative transmission infrastructure technology, for example, super conductors, all allowing for more efficient and secure operation of the power system in real time. EirGrid and the Northern Ireland operator, SONI, support several demonstration projects in the smart grid sector in order to encourage the development of a smarter grid in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The Government, in its policy statement on the strategic importance of transmission and other energy infrastructure which was published in July 2012, underlined the need and urgency for new energy infrastructure to be developed both in the national interest and from a European perspective. In addition to highlighting the importance of the interests of individual energy consumers, the policy statement was conscious that public acceptance and understanding of energy infrastructure is a major challenge. This requires public confidence that projects and programmes adhere to the highest international standards of safety, health and environmental and visual impact, and technology choice.

Continued progress made with the Grid 25 programme and other essential energy infrastructure initiatives will have positive impacts for all local communities in underpinning regional and economic development and jobs. As regards Deputy Mulherin's argument I am aware that EirGrid is considering at present whether measures would be possible to facilitate the connection of additional wind generation in areas of Ireland, including Mayo, while the development of vital grid infrastructure developments is ongoing in parallel.

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