Gas security Ireland14 Jul 2018 13:29
https://data.oireachtas.ie/ie/oireachtas/committee/dail/32/joint_committee_on_communications_climate_action_and_environment/submissions/2018/2018-07-03_opening-statement-ibec_en.pdf ..........
The vital role of natural gas out to 2050
Natural gas is an integral part of the Irish energy system. There are over 800,00 domestic, industrial and
commercial users on the island of Ireland and it remains the primary fuel for power generation. Analysis
published by UCC and ESRI in May 2017 projects a flat trend in liquid fossil fuel usage out to 2030, with a sharp
reduction thereafter. However, it projects natural gas consumption to remain steady out to 2050.
There is a good reason for this. Gas fired generation will be crucial to safe, secure running of the electricity grid
on the island of Ireland for the foreseeable future. As an island isolated from the rest of Europe – Ireland
needs flexible generation to complement intermittent and variable generating technologies. Right now, there is no other obvious solution to this problem. Natural gas could be accommodated in a low carbon system by
harnessing the potential of carbon capture and storage technology and making full use of depleted gas fields.
Therefore, it will be necessary to maintain secure supplies of gas in the future. If new domestic sources cannot
be developed, we will have to rely on imports. The existing Moffat Interconnectors have proven extremely
reliable to date and have given us access to a competitive and diverse supply. However, we cannot risk being
100% dependent on natural gas imports through the UK when the when the Corrib Field is exhausted. This will
be a growing concern as the supply of natural gas from EU and OECD countries diminishes and supply become
more unreliable.