Report urges investment in biomass

The gradual conversion of the country’s largest power station from coal to biomass would allow Ireland to meet its renewable energy targets “in one single stroke”, according to a British energy expert who completed a report for one of the country’s anti-pylon groups.

The authors of the report say that, at €380m, the conversion of Moneypoint would cost a tenth of the controversial Grid25 upgrade project.

Investment in biomass, combined heat and power plants, and financial support for energy efficiency, would provide better value to taxpayers and pose less risk of electricity blackouts than the planned doubling of wind power output to meet EU targets, said Malcolm Brown of BW Energy.

The report by BW Energy for Rethink Pylons argues that Ireland has a strong agricultural sector but its contribution to renewable energy production from biomass and waste has been below EU average.

It claims that the Government should redirect its renewable energy policy from doubling wind capacity to more investment in biomass and energy efficiency. Under EU laws, the Government must ensure 16% of our energy consumption comes from renewable sources by 2020 and the doubling of wind power is a cornerstone of this target.

The BW Energy report argues that the Moneypoint plan would ensure security of supply, as it is now possible to access long-term fixed-price contracts.

Rethink Pylons has argued that this doubling of wind power is the main driver behind the need to spend up to €3.2bn upgrading Ireland’s transmission network, including spending €400m on the Gridlink project.

The BW Energy report argues that the doubling of wind capacity to meet 2020 targets could destabilise the electricity network, causing power blackout. It says the variable nature of wind will mean “increased risks of uncontrollable changes in frequency”.

It also says that Irish domestic electricity consumers already pay pre-tax electricity costs that are 25% above the EU average and that the costs of controlling wind power through constraining, building interconnectors, and upgrading the grid will add to these costs and damage industrial competitiveness.

Another report, published by the Irish Wind Energy Association yesterday, strongly defended the potential of wind. It stated that the installation of 3.8GW of wind capacity to meet 2020 targets and the development of a further 1.6GW between 2020 and 2030 to meet domestic energy demand, would bring €8.3m in investment to the Irish economy and €1.8bn in tax revenue. It also stated that the wholesale price of electricity would fall by €2.10 per MWh by 2020 without having to “place a burden on the Irish consumer”.

Meanwhile, Eirgrid said the BW Energy report “does not sufficiently address the major issues facing Irish consumers — cost competitiveness, environmental sustainability, security of supply, and attracting and retaining industry”.

“It incorrectly argues that grid upgrades are needed only for wind generation. That is not accurate,” said Eirgrid spokesman Michael Walsh.