The North-South interconnector is an essential transmission infrastructure project that will link the electricity transmission network between South and North on the island of Ireland, leading to a much more secure, affordable and sustainable supply of electricity across the island, operating in a single electricity market. The project is fully consented in the State and in the North, with full planning permission granted for overhead lines in both jurisdictions. Once complete, the North-South interconnector will facilitate the connection of 900 MW of renewable generation, which is enough to power 600,000 homes. It is an incredibly significant project that is of critical importance to all citizens on the whole island. In March 2023, the Government noted and published an independent report on the project, which concluded it would not be feasible to run the North-South interconnector underground. That was the third review of the project and it confirmed that the findings of the 2018 report remained valid. As a transmission project, it is being undertaken by EirGrid, which is independently regulated by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, The CRU is accountable to the relevant Oireachtas committee and not to me, as Minister. The Government does not have any role in the delivery of the electricity infrastructure on the ground. In February, EirGrid announced a delay in the completion of the North-South interconnector. Following this, I met with it and set out that this Government supports electricity grid delivery and that the interconnector was central to it. Separately in March, I responded to correspondence from Monaghan County Council setting out the Government's support for this project and I asked the council to engage with EirGrid. My officials and I will continue to work to support the quickest possible delivery of electricity grid projects and the North-South interconnector.
Sentiment score: 0.17
The project should have been delivered by 2030 and now it will not be. The revised date is 2031. We need the interconnector. Work has started in the North subject to challenge there too. Work should start in the South too. There are lessons to be learned. Engagement in some areas has been difficult. I am not going to apportion blame on either side. I have been in the Oireachtas since 2007. I know we have dealt with the east-west interconnector. The North-South interconnector has always a bone of contention in certain areas but if we want more renewables on our grid, if we want a stronger grid and if we want to reduce energy prices for customers on the island of Ireland, this project is needed. The reviews have stated clearly that undergrounding is not an option. It is fully consented in the North and the South. The project should proceed. While there should be more engagement, the project needs to proceed because it is critical.
Sentiment score: 0.09
This is a critical piece of infrastructure for the island. It has gone on for far too long. I remember this as well going way back to 2005. I remember protests in north Dublin about undergrounding coming from Wales into Rush and discussions and arguments around electromagnetic fields. I respect Deputy Carthy's point of view but he did not mention that there are many residents and landowners who have consented-----
Sentiment score: -0.07
Could the Deputy let me answer? There are many residents who have consented. There is a need for further engagement but the reality is that if we go back through a planning process again, we would be talking about 2040. What will have happened then is that we will have less ability to bring more renewables on to our grid and will not have reduced costs for consumers North and South so we need to find a way forward on this. This is fully consented. It has gone through the planning process. I met residents in Monaghan during the previous Dáil.
Sentiment score: 0.07
I propose to take Questions Nos. 109 and 138 together. Ireland's energy policy is focused on achieving a sustainable, secure and competitive energy system with key elements centred around reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing renewable energy generation - 40% of our energy was generated through renewables last year - as well as improving energy efficiency and ensuring energy security. Members will see from previous questions how difficult this can be in certain areas with the politicising of projects that will hinder our delivery of much-needed grid infrastructure. The new programme for Government outlines the Government's position regarding energy, housing, FDI policy and many other goals and reflects the balance between the various needs, opportunities and challenges facing the country. It also states our ambition to achieve energy independence by harnessing our untapped renewable energy resources and recognises that increased and unprecedented investment and delivery in our grid and expanding our energy generation capacity are priorities. Three main priorities in the NDP review are energy, housing and water. Price review 6 later this year will see a multiple of price review 5 and the investment in our grid because we need to expand our grid capacity for generation and distribution to meet the needs we have. Transitioning to a renewables-led system remains a key priority to ensure Ireland’s energy security and economic competitiveness. Energy security underpins the delivery of essential infrastructure, including new housing developments and digital services. Digital services are critically important for the future economic development of this country. It is not a question of one or the other. The CRU will bring forward the large energy users document that went out to public consultation, particularly with regard to PR6. When it does, we will see a plan-led approach not only to grid development, but also to energy delivery for all of our business sectors, the digital sector and housing. It will take into account the need for 50,000 homes per year over the period of PR6 as well as the additional energy required to meet the targets of nearly 1 million EV charging points. The system operators, EirGrid and ESB Networks, assess the expected future demand on the system, for example, economic and population growth, housing, EVs and heat pumps, as part of the network development plans. These plans form a vital part in the system operator's submission to the next price review. This sets out the level of investment required for the next five years, which will probably be in the region of €13.4 billion to €15 billion. If we compare that to previous investment of approximately €5 billion, it is unprecedented but it is needed. The CRU is currently reviewing the proposals from ESB Networks and EirGrid for the requirements for investment. Submissions made to the CRU propose a significant uplift in the investment, which will come to pass, in distribution and transmission to support the requirements of a growing population and economy. The exact level will form part of the CRU's final determination. The programme for Government seeks to address the challenges between balancing energy needs by committing to scale up investment in critical infrastructure and our electricity grid. It will be advantageous for customers and enhance the data centre and digital economy footprint to support continued FDI investment.
Sentiment score: 0.33
We are not going to annihilate our climate targets. This Government is as committed as the previous Government was to the energy transition, reducing emissions and working as hard as we can to achieve the targets that have been set. On the expansion of renewable energy, 40% of all our energy last year was generated through renewables. We have made incredible progress in that regard, not just in the previous Government, but since 2005. In 2005, 7% of our electricity was generated by renewables, but that figure is 40% 20 years later. There are real opportunities with offshore renewables. There are now five projects out to further information and planning on the east coast and there has been the Government decision on the national DMAP to accelerate the delivery of offshore renewables. Investment in our grid is absolutely critical. The level of investment over the term of this Government in our grid, both in distribution and generation, will be unprecedented. It will be multiples of the previous one. We must also ensure as a country that we remain at the cutting edge of new technologies. Housing is an absolute priority for this Government. In the previous Government, we delivered 135,000 new homes. It was not a question of any sector above housing; housing was the number one priority and remains so. Under the national development plan review, however, the three main priorities are housing, water and energy. That is critical. I do not think anybody could or should disagree with that. Look at the jobs underpinned by the investment in data and digital infrastructure in this country. Some of the largest employers in this country - in Deputy O'Gorman's own constituency - are located in Ireland because their data is located here, too. There is headroom to 2030 on already committed connection agreements, and that is not instead of housing. Those who present this as an issue of data centres getting connections instead of housing are simply not correct. It might be populous to say that but it is not correct.
Sentiment score: 0.07
There is no dispute within my Department and the Secretary General is a very committed public servant who I work with extremely well. We are all in agreement that we need to expand our energy generation through renewables, which we are doing, and improve our grid resilience and the capacity of our grid across the country. This is what we will be doing to ensure that we can meet not competing demands, but demands across all sectors. Housing for our people is fundamental. It is never in question. Deputy O'Gorman stated that our digital economy was now well supported by that 21% of energy it was using. I am assuming by him saying this that he supports this happening or would he reverse that? Our job is to ensure we expand renewables in particular. While respecting the planning decisions recently made by An Bord Pleanála, some of those projects are now out to further information, which will delay their commencement, but those ORESS 1 developers are still committed to developing those offshore renewables. We learned a lot from that. We also have the south coast DMAP which went through without a judicial review. The accelerated national DMAP which will be completed by 2027. Let us not forget about onshore. There is significant interest in the next auction this year. There will be significant participation in onshore wind and onshore solar. Look at what we have been able to do on solar - in 2018, 0.6% of energy was generated through solar in this country. Now, on a good day it is about 14%. The average in the last full year was just over 3%. It is growing and growing. That is clean, green energy, it is our energy, it is sustainable, and it is reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and on others for supplies of our energy. The Greenlink interconnector from Wexford to Britain is now electrified. There will be completion shortly of the Celtic interconnector. All that energy infrastructure has been put in place. There is no question of us increasing our dependence on fossil fuels. We are moving on and will continue to do that.
Sentiment score: 0.24
There is no clear preference for data centres over anything else. That is just not correct. Our priorities are for the delivery of housing and additional water infrastructure, investing in our energy grid and supporting indigenous jobs and investment and FDI. This is a red herring, trying to bring forward the narrative that we are not connecting houses to the grid because we are connecting large energy users instead. That is not true; that is not the case. We have already contracted headroom to deal with large energy users up to 2030. Independently of me - it is not just me saying it - the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, through EirGrid and ESB Networks, has already put forward its plans up to 2030, which will deal with 50,000 homes per year, the homes Government said it wants to deliver over its term, and deal with economic growth. Look at what our energy system has been able to do. Going back to 1990, the economy has grown sixfold, the population is up 50% and we built 135,000 homes in the previous Government, of which the Deputy was part. No one came to me and said an estate was not being built because there was a big data centre or large pharmaceutical or other company across the road. I will not say it is dishonest but it is disingenuous to continue with this argument that there is a conflict between economic growth, investment in our grid and housing growth; there is not.
Sentiment score: 0.09
There is still significant potential in onshore renewables. I mentioned the auction later this year, RESS 5, which I believe will be heavily subscribed. These projects already have connection agreements and planning permission. There has already been significant growth there. We want to see construction in our offshore renewable projects in the next couple of years. I am just being honest; it unlikely we will see those projects fully connected to our grid by 2029 or 2030. There will possibly be one. The remainder will come in early 2030 and 2031. Life exists post 2030. The year 2030 is a target date set clearly in our climate targets but there are years after that. Last year, we hit 5 GW of onshore. We have vast potential to do a lot more and we will because we have put the infrastructure in place to do that. We will continue with the auction and engagement process with the development sector in relation to our renewables.
Sentiment score: 0.17
The plan will be cognisant of what energy capacity we have. That is across the board. I do not give the connection agreements. They are done independently. The Deputy will know that some data centres have not been given connection agreements. It has already happened where it is not deemed appropriate. We need to plan for the future too. That is why I mentioned 2030 and that life exists post 2030. Some project timelines for planning and delivery will be past that date. The priority for this Government is delivering housing for our people and investing in our grid, water and public transport. Electric vehicle charging and the advancement of electric vehicles also takes capacity from our grid, as will heat pumps and more homes, jobs and people. PR6 takes that into account. CRU will then look at connection agreements, especially the large energy user policy on which it has engaged with stakeholders, not just on the data centre side but across the board.
Sentiment score: 0.10
I will be really quick because I will supply the Deputy with the written answer, but I should have said earlier that I have tasked the SEAI with looking at options with its grants. I do not mean increasing the amount of grants but seeing how we can break them down and make them more accessible. I am also doing that with electric vehicles and looking at options for low- to middle-income families, including scrappage and seeing whether there is anything we can do in rural parts. The heat pumps seem to have plateaued in relation to delivery last year, though not on new homes. They have been extremely successful on new homes. The retrofitting and installation of heat pumps can be extremely invasive for householders as well. The technology is not there yet with plug-in heat pumps, so unless there is a very deep retrofit on the home, people do not opt for them. I have asked the SEAI to come up with certain options for that on how we might be able to break down our grants with respect to what levels of work one needs to do. I have received a report on that and I am assessing it. I will bring forward options, including, most importantly, perhaps new options, for householders over the coming months.
Sentiment score: 0.22