Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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60. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he has plans to engage with the stakeholders behind the Silvermines hydro-electric station to deliver storage given the recent publication of the energy security review and its proposal for approximately 450MW to 1.8 gigawatt-hours of pumped storage. [47116/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Long-duration electricity storage projects, such as pumped hydro, can play a critical role in ensuring flexibility and security of supply in the energy system, by facilitating the integration of renewable generation, supporting the grid, and shifting energy to the time when it is needed most.

As part of its review of security of supply of Ireland’s electricity and natural gas system, my Department has launched a public consultation seeking views from interested parties. The review examines measures Ireland can take to mitigate potential risks including additional capacity to import energy, energy storage, fuel diversification and renewable gases.

The Climate Action Plan 2021 also recognises the important role of electricity storage in supporting the transformation of the electricity sector. Under Climate Action Plan 2021, my Department has committed to developing a national electricity storage policy framework, which is due for publication next year. To help inform this work, a public consultation will be launched in the coming weeks.

At present, Turlough Hill is the only large-scale pumped storage power station in Ireland with an installed capacity of 292MW. However, Ireland has also supported the inclusion of the Silvermines Hydroelectric Pumped Storage facility on the EU’s Project of Common Interest List, which includes key cross border infrastructure projects that link the energy systems of EU countries but can also include large-scale storage projects. The proposed Silvermines pumped-hydro storage facility is currently EU Project of Common Interest (PCI) 2.29, having been selected for the 5th PCI List in 2021.

The Government considers that the Silvermines pumped hydro project has the potential to make an important contribution to power generation decarbonisation and security of supply on the island of Ireland. To that end, officials in my Department have been engaging with the stakeholders behind the project.