Louis O'Hara (Galway East, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

338. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the progress his Department has made to complete action 8 of the Energy Security in Ireland to 2030 document, including the target to deliver an additional 2GW of flexible generation by the winter of 2025/2026; if the generation is being targeted to regions that are experiencing capacity shortfalls; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24346/25]

Louis O'Hara (Galway East, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

339. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the actions undertaken to reduce Ireland’s dependence on natural gas as the main form of flexible electricity generation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24347/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I propose to take Questions Nos. 338 and 339 together.

As outlined in the Programme for Government, this Government is committed to taking decisive action to radically reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and to achieve a 51% reduction in emissions from 2018 to 2030, and to achieving net-zero emissions no later than 2050.

The Government set out a clear vision in the 2023 'Energy Security in Ireland to 2030' strategy to move away from fossil fuels to an electricity-led energy system. Delivery of our ambitious renewable and electrification targets set out in the Climate Action Plan 2025 will be key in this regard. The Climate Action Plan includes a suite of actions to realise Ireland’s offshore renewable energy (ORE) potential. Maximising offshore wind energy is a significant priority for Government, and the State has recently been accelerating policy in this area. To deliver our offshore wind energy ambitions, the Government has implemented a plan-led approach which is being overseen by a cross-Government Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce.

However, the delivery of modern flexible dispatchable generation capacity is important to support a highly renewable grid. This allows for the integration of a large volume of wind and solar electricity projects that displace the need to run fossil fuel plants for baseload. However, the variable nature of renewable technologies means fossil fuel generation remains crucial for system security and resilience to ensure security of supply at this time.

For clarity there is no target to deliver 2GW of flexible generation by 2025/26 as suggested in the Question. The Government has however set a target of having at least 2GW of new flexible gas-fired generation by 2030 in our Climate Action Plans to ensure secure generation of electricity at time of low renewable output and/or high demand. The CRU, EirGrid and my Department are supporting the delivery of 2GW of new flexible generation capacity procured through capacity market auctions. The operation of the capacity market auctions is undertaken by the Single Electricity Market Operator (SEMO) under the oversight of the Single Electricity Market Committee (SEMC). The CRU is part of the Single Electricity Market Committee (SEMC) which decides on the volumes to be procured in the capacity market, in what regions of the grid, and the resulting costs.

The All-Island Resource Adequacy Assessment (AIRAA) is an electricity system security study that assesses the balance between electricity generation capacity and electricity demand over the next ten years. The recently published AIRAA 2025-34 shows an improved picture for Ireland's generation adequacy on last year’s study. This improvement is due to new generation capacity additions, an improved accounting of existing generation (including from renewables) and interconnection capacities. It is also due to the delivery of mitigations from Action 8 including new Temporary Emergency Generation capacity which has now been delivered in all four locations procured (North Wall and Huntstown in Dublin, Shannonbridge in Offaly, and Tarbert in Co. Kerry). Additionally, Moneypoint has now received planning to convert from coal to HFO and been contracted to remain open till 2029 as an out of market unit to provide power only when required by the system operator for electricity security.

Technologies such as electricity storage and grid reinforcement are also vital components to secure our energy transition and to support a highly renewable system in the future. In July 2024, the Department published Irelands first policy document on grid-scale electricity storage, the Electricity Storage Policy Framework. Across 10 actions, the policy framework sets out the role of electricity storage in accelerating the deployment of renewable electricity generation and meeting Ireland's CAP targets and decarbonisation goals.

Finally, my Department is supporting the Sustainable Energy Agency of Ireland (SEAI) on the Decarbonising the Electricity System Study (DESS), developing an evidence-based pathway for decarbonising the Irish electricity system after 2030, working with a wide range of stakeholders to build consensus.