Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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212. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the date he will approve the development of domestic Irish and gas exploration; if he plans to issue a statement regarding this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13603/23]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Programme for Government contains a commitment to end the issuing of new licences for the exploration and extraction of gas on the same basis as the decision taken in 2019 by the previous Government in relation to oil exploration and extraction.

As outlined in the Policy Statement on Petroleum Exploration and Production published in August 2022, this commitment states that no new authorisations for petroleum exploration will be granted, while applications that are already connected to existing authorisations can continue to apply to progress through the standard licensing lifecycle stages towards a natural conclusion, which may include expiry, relinquishment, production or rejection.

All applications relating to existing authorisations will continue to be assessed against a number of criteria in accordance with Section 9A of the Petroleum and Other Minerals Development Act, 1960, as amended, and Section 3 of the Licensing Terms for Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration, Development and Production. This includes assessment of the technical competence of the applicant and the financial resources available to it in order to undertake the work programme and any other commitments pursuant to the relevant petroleum authorisation.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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213. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will provide the specifics regarding the amount and origin of the energy sourced from the UK in 2022 for Irish electricity supplies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13604/23]

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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214. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the reasoning behind the ongoing importation of energy for Irish electricity production from the UK rather than domestic oil and gas drilling, particularly in view of the UK power system operator's recent decision to reopen two of five emergency coal-fired generators; the timeline for approving the development of domestic Irish oil and gas exploration; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13605/23]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 213 and 214 together.

Ireland is a net exporter of electricity to Great Britain via the East West Interconnector (EWIC). In 2022 Ireland imported 382 Gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity but exported 992 GWh of electricity to Great Britain with a resulting net export of 610 GWh of electricity via the EWIC over the year. The origin of this electricity changes on a minute-by-minute basis as the different fuel sources vary to respond to demand and the available supply including wind and solar availability.

Similarly, the island of Ireland operates an all-island Integrated Single Electricity Market (ISEM) which over the course of 2022 was also a net exporter of electricity to Great Britain with a combined 888 GWh of electricity net exports via EWIC and the Moyle Interconnector in Northern Ireland.

The Programme for Government was ratified by the members of the three parties involved in the formation of the current government in June 2020. This programme contained the commitment to end the issuing of new licences for the exploration and extraction of gas on the same basis as the decision taken in 2019 by the previous Government in relation to oil exploration and extraction.

As outlined in the Policy Statement on Petroleum Exploration and Production published in August 2022, this commitment states that no new authorisations for petroleum exploration will be granted, while applications that are already connected to existing authorisations can continue to apply to progress through the standard licensing lifecycle stages towards a natural conclusion, which may include expiry, relinquishment, production or rejection.

All applications relating to existing authorisations will continue to be assessed against a number of criteria in accordance with Section 9A of the Petroleum and Other Minerals Development Act, 1960, as amended, and Section 3 of the Licensing Terms for Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration, Development and Production. This includes assessment of the technical competence of the applicant and the financial resources available to it in order to undertake the work programme and any other commitments pursuant to the relevant petroleum authorisation.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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215. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the actions that have been taken, in view of warnings from EirGrid in its Generation Capacity Statement in relation to forthcoming serious electricity supply shortfalls, to ensure the country produces sufficient electricity to meet demand, particularly for winter 2023-2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13624/23]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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220. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment what actions have been taken, in light of warnings from EirGrid in its Generation Capacity Statement about forthcoming serious electricity supply shortfalls, to ensure the country produces sufficient electricity to meet demand, particularly for winter 2023-2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13952/23]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 215 and 220 together.

The Commission of Regulation of Utilities which has statutory responsibility to ensure security of supply, has the duty to monitor electricity supplies and to take sure measures as it considers necessary to protect the security of supply. It is assisted in its role by EirGrid, the electricity transmission system operator, and my Department. The CRU currently has a programme of actions underway to ensure the security of our electricity supply over the coming years.

The Security of Supply Programme of actions contains a number of both demand and supply side mitigation measures. These actions include: procurement of new, enduring capacity through a number of capacity auctions; procuring additional temporary generation; extending the availability of existing generation capacity; additional use of grid-scale batteries; and improved demand side measures. In February 2023, the CRU published an update on the actions within the programme and this is available on their website.

Margins are expected to remain tight in Winters 2022/23 and 2023/24. The CRU is continuing to work with key stakeholders to implement appropriate mitigation measures to further reduce risks during this and next winter and lower peak demand during these periods.

The Deputy may wish to note that CRU provides a dedicated email address for Oireachtas members, which enables them to raise questions to CRU at oireachtas@cru.ie for timely direct reply.