Ireland’s power grid needs to undergo a fundamental transformation if the country is to meet its ambitious 2030 renewable energy targets. That transformation – and the options for its delivery – are now the subject of a nationwide public consultation being carried out by Eirgrid.
"Electricity demand in Ireland has increased substantially in recent years and will continue on a similar trajectory," says Eirgrid chief executive Mark Foley. "Over the next 10 years, we project that Ireland will require the connection of up to 10,000 megawatts of additional renewable generation. This power will have to be generated, connected to the grid, and delivered throughout the island. We need to ensure the grid is able to carry this volume of power across the country to where it is needed. This will require the most radical transformation of the system since the advent of electricity itself."
Eirgrid has produced a report, Shaping Our Electricity Future, which sets out the different approaches to developing the grid over the coming years.
Generation will increasingly come from renewables and that means the old centralised model has gone away
The four broad approaches range from developer-led, where the private sector decides where to locate new generation capacity, to one where advances in technologies will deliver the resilience required by the grid. The costs are not inconsiderable and range from €1 billion to €3 billion depending on the option or mix of options chosen.
“The different options aren’t mutually exclusive,” Foley emphasises. “The world is not as simple or binary as that. Different issues can come up that lead you in one direction or another within any of the options.”
He explains that there are three separate dimensions to the challenge, with the first being generation and where to put it.
“Generation will increasingly come from renewables and that means the old centralised model has gone away. That presents big questions. The second is where the demand is going to come from. At the moment it happens organically. People put data centres here or there, for example. Maybe the right place to put demand is not in Dublin.”
The third dimension is the grid. “Eirgrid sits in the middle,” Foley points out. “How are you going to link demand with generation? We have to fill the gap in the middle. When you start to look at the growth pathway from a grid perspective to 2030 maybe we should influence where the demand is going to come from. Rather than just say we will build the grid come what may. We have to look at ways of getting the whole system right. The consultation opens up the debate on that. But it’s not just about the grid, it’s about the other dimensions as well.”
Generation
According to Foley, the developer-led model has served the country well up until now. “Ireland performed exceptionally well in green electricity up to the end of 2020 under the developer-led model. Developers decided where to put onshore windfarms and came to Eirgrid for the grid connections.”
The next model is generation led. “In this case we would look at influencing where generation goes. You can put wind in most counties and solar in most places south of a line from Galway to Dublin. You can put offshore wind off the east coast. What if we thought in a prescriptive way about where it should go by looking at the grid and where demand is likely to come from?”
The demand-led option would see attempts to influence the location of new demand. “We could start to think about a more regional approach and look at areas where it would be advantageous to put demand,” says Foley. “That would make the grid challenge more addressable.”
The fourth and final approach is technology led. It is the most expensive but is under consideration nevertheless. “We have to look at things that are a bit left field. We are willing to look at radical solutions. It is incumbent on us not to rule anything out.”
The consultation process has begun and will continue for 14 weeks. The consultation period will be supported by a range of traditional and innovative engagement and participation activities which include a deliberative dialogue, modelled on the Citizens’ Assembly, complemented by national forums involving industry, civil society and youth. In addition, the company is engaging at grassroots level with rural communities, local businesses and young people.
“This is the biggest single consultation ever done by Eirgrid or perhaps by anyone in the country,” Foley concludes. “We really want to leave no stone unturned in terms of our reach out. Based on the feedback received we will produce a roadmap in the autumn.”