John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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115. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the way he plans to tackle Ireland’s energy needs given the decision to progress the Bill banning offshore drilling for oil and gas; the steps that have been put in place in the short and medium-term; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63109/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (the CRU) has statutory responsibility to ensure security of electricity supply. This includes the duty to monitor security of electricity supply and to take such measures as it considers necessary to protect security of supply. The Commission for Regulation of Utilities is assisted in its statutory role by EirGrid. EirGrid published its Generation Capacity Statement in September 2021, which covers the period 2021 to 2030 and has identified a medium term need to develop circa 2,000 MW of generation capacity. On the same day, the CRU published an information note, setting out the programme of short- and medium-term actions being progressed to deliver the required generation capacity.

These actions include:

- increasing the availability of existing generators;

- developing new generation capacity;

- extending the operational life of some existing generators; and

- actions to enhance demand-side response, including large consumers reducing demand when the system margin is low.

In November 2021, the Government approved and published a new Policy Statement on Electricity Security of Supply, which supports the CRU's programme of actions. My Department continues to work closely with the CRU and EirGrid to implement the programme of actions and ensure security of electricity supply.

For the longer term, my Department is carrying out a review of the security of energy supply of Ireland’s electricity and natural gas systems. The review is being carried out for the period to 2030 in the context of net zero emissions by 2050.  The review is expected to complete in mid-2022, following which the findings of the review will be submitted to Government. 

The Programme for Government contains a commitment to end the issuing of new licences for the exploration and extraction of natural gas on the same basis as the decision taken by the previous government in relation to oil exploration and extraction. This commitment has been implemented by my Department and has been given statutory effect through the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021.