Fiona O'Malley (Dún Laoghaire, Progressive Democrats)
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Question 435: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources his views on restoring responsibility for electricity supply security to Eirgrid and additionally charging them with responsibility for achieving the target of having 30% of electricity produced from renewable sources by 2020 following the separation of Eirgrid from ESB and taking account of the provisions of the EU directives, which allow that an independent system operator may run competitions for additional generation capacity. [33979/06]

Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)
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I am satisfied that the legislative measures currently in place are sufficient to enable the Commission for Energy Regulation and the Transmission System Operator to fulfil their complementary independent and statutory roles in ensuring the continuity and security of supply in the electricity generation sector.

My Department will keep the current legislative provisions under review in order to ensure that the Commission, as the independent Regulatory Authority, and EirGrid, as the independent Transmission System Operator, are positioned and empowered to encourage the development of an electricity generation portfolio which delivers on the ambitious targets for renewable energy set out in the Green Paper on Energy Policy.

Security of supply in relation to electricity is a statutory matter for the Commission for Energy Regulation in accordance with the provisions of Article 28 of the European Communities (Internal Market in Electricity) Regulations 2005 (S.I. No. 60 of 2005). These Regulations give further legal effect to Directive No. 2003/54/EC concerning common rules for the internal market in electricity. The Regulations provide, inter alia, for the strengthening of independent regulation and the enhancing of security of supply provisions.

Specifically, Article 28 provides that it shall be the duty of the Commission to monitor the security of supply of electricity and that the Commission shall take such measures as it considers necessary to protect security of supply. In particular, the Commission can host a competition to acquire the necessary generation or it can direct the Transmission System Operator, ESB or any licensed undertaking to put in place any arrangements that the Commission considers necessary to protect security of supply.

In the performance of its monitoring and corrective functions, the Commission is advised by the independent Transmission System Operator, whose functions relating to security of supply are also underpinned by the European Communities (Internal Market in Electricity) Regulations 2005. EirGrid plc formally assumed the role of independent electricity Transmission System Operator (TSO) in Ireland and the Market Operator in the wholesale electricity trading system from 1 July 2006.

EirGrid's statutory role is to deliver quality connection, transmission and market services to generators, suppliers and customers utilising the high voltage electricity system, and to put in place the grid infrastructure required to support the development of Ireland's economy. In fulfilling this role, EirGrid is required to develop, maintain and operate a safe, secure, reliable, economical and efficient transmission system.