EirGrid unveils €1bn plan to 'radically transform' Ireland's power grid

Environment Minister Eamon Ryan, EirGrid chief executive Mark Foley, and EirGrid chief innovation and planning officer Liam Ryan unveiling the Shaping Our Electricity Future roadmap at Cop26.

The operator of Ireland's electricity transmission grid has unveiled plans for the country to have at least 70% renewables on the electricity grid by 2030, in what it says will be a "radical transformation" of power.

Coinciding with the Cop26 United Nations climate change summit in Glasgow, EirGrid and Environment Minister Eamon Ryan revealed the Shaping Our Electricity Future plan.

EirGrid said the plan is the result of a "14-week consultation across all sectors of society and two years of research by industry experts and tens of millions of technical simulations".

The plan came about, EirGrid said, after it was asked by the Government to "transform the electricity system in anticipation of a future without coal, oil, peat and ultimately one with net zero emissions".

Specifically, it must redevelop the grid to manage the vast majority of Ireland’s electricity coming from renewable sources by 2030, Eirgrid said.

There were 492 submissions from members of the public and 80 industry submissions.

In developing the plan, EirGrid said it considered how much demand for electricity will grow, the future mix of electricity generation, and where it will be located.

It also considered what needs to happen on the grid to connect supply and demand, and what should happen in the market as it operates close to 100%.

Hike in demand

Demand will grow between 30% and 50% due to industry growth, electrification of transport meaning electric vehicles, and the electrification of heat in homes and offices, it deduced.

The next tranche of renewable energy will be dominated by offshore wind in the Irish Sea, EirGrid said.

“We will still have more onshore wind, we welcome the arrival of solar generation starting next year and we suggest that consumers and householders can play a part through solar generation on the roofs of their home,” a briefing on the plan said.

A wind turbine at Ballybane in West Cork. 'We will still have more onshore wind, we welcome the arrival of solar generation starting next year and we suggest that consumers and householders can play a part through solar generation on the roofs of their home,” said a briefing on the plan.

However, it warned that gas will be needed “as a backstop for when the output from wind and solar is low”, but insisted that was not contradictory to the strategy.

“That does not conflict with our transformation plan, gas will ultimately be displaced by hydrogen or some other form of non-carbon generating fuel,” it said.

EirGrid said that the plan has 40 new grid infrastructure projects at a cost of over €1bn, adding to an existing €2.2bn programme of grid infrastructure projects with funding already in place.

'Greater control'

The operator said that ultimately, “there will be greater control over where future generation and demand is located, minimising the need for the development of new electricity lines”.

The environment minister said: “We must radically reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and make the transition to cleaner, indigenous renewable energy. Increased renewable energy will insulate Ireland from the volatility of international gas and carbon prices, which are near an all-time high.” 

The plan paves the way to decarbonising, Mr Ryan said.

“Shaping Our Electricity Future shows a clear path to delivery on our commitments to decarbonise our electricity grid, harness our natural resources, and bring renewable energy into the heart of our communities. It will also enable us to meet the projected increased demand for electricity over the coming years.”