Emergency power for Ireland8 May 2022 19:50
Hi all,
article in the business post, worth a read.
https://www.businesspost.ie/energy/state-to-double-imported-emergency-power-generators-amid-new-supply-fears-68f3b3e8?auth=login
The state has moved to double the importation of emergency power generators to prevent blackouts as the gap between electricity supply and demand continues to grow, the Business Post can reveal.
More than €300 million a year from winter 2023 is likely to be spent on emergency gas generators, as demand for power accelerates past planned supply – largely due to the proliferation of data centres.
Eirgrid, which is responsible for ensuring Ireland’s power supply alongside the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), will now import 600 megawatts (MWs) of emergency gas generators from winter 2023. This is double the 300MWs that was announced late last year.
It comes as Europe braces itself for an energy crisis due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The government’s newly-established Energy Security Emergency Group (ESEG) has begun to plan for gas, electricity and liquid fuel rationing in the event of the Kremlin suddenly cutting off oil or gas supplies to Europe in retaliation to sanctions imposed on Russia.
As well as rationing plans for petrol station forecourts, essential workers would be prioritised when it comes to buying fuel.
The Business Post understands that the state has identified priority customers for other energy under any rationing to include homes, hospitals, prisons, key utilities infrastructure, RTÉ and Government Buildings.
Martin Fraser, the country’s top civil servant, warned members at a recent ESEG meeting to “consider the worst-case scenario, and whatever that is, plan for worse than that”.
The outgoing secretary general of the Department of the Taoiseach was making the point that although the possibility of severe energy shortages was remote, planning for them now was essential.
It comes as fears rise that proposals from the EU to reduce Russian gas imports by two-thirds this year and phase out oil imports altogether by year end could result in sudden retaliation from Russia, leading to continent wide energy shortages.
“Nobody can be certain about what might happen next,” Eamon Ryan, the Minister for Environment, told the Business Post.
“If gas is shut off because of Russian action, then obviously Europe can do nothing about that. We would just have to manage in a wartime-like situation. The politics of that would be different because it would be imposed by an outside force, and I think there would be unity in that emergency scenario.
“My prediction is that Europe will continue to see gas coming in for the time being. This is in the EU’s interest because we have to build up gas storage for next winter. But then next winter is the period we are really concerned about.”
continued:
Sign In
Follow the stocks
