Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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Responsibility for overseeing the grid connection process is vested in the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) and the matter of access to grid connection offers lies within the statutory authority of the CER. I have no direct involvement in that process. The Gate process, which is run by the CER working with EirGrid, is designed to streamline the connection process.

The current Gate 3, was the subject of extensive public consultation by the CER prior to its final decision in December 2008. In keeping with the Government target of 40% of electricity consumption to be from renewable sources by 2020, Gate 3 provides for almost 4000 additional megawatts of renewable generator connection offers.

The CER and EirGrid have calculated that around 5800MW of renewable capacity will be required to deliver the 40% target in 2020. There are currently 1,400 megawatts (MWS) of renewable generation plants connected to the electricity grid. Currently, there is approximately a further 1400 MWs of capacity in additional projects, which have received connection offers and which have been accepted into the Renewable Energy Feed In Tariff (REFIT) programme. These projects were part of the Gate 1 and Gate 2 processes, and will typically be built and connected to the grid over the next two or three year period.

The question of developing projects beyond the Gate 3 process will depend on the level of take up by developers and on the roll-out of the transmission grid to safely and securely accommodate steadily increasing amounts of intermittent power generation.

The projects in Gate 3 were selected by the CER on a "first come first served" criterion. Connection offers are scheduled to issue between late 2009 and early 2011.

To ensure this process operates efficiently and transparently, and to keep the industry stakeholders informed of the ongoing work, the CER has established a Gate 3 Liaison Group involving all stakeholders, including the renewable industry associations. The objective is to ensure the connection offer process is completed as quickly and as effectively as possible.