Eirgrid chief executive Mark Foley: has said that the provision of LNG storage must be an urgent priority for the State.The outlook for this winter published by Eirgrid provides some room for optimism about the security of energy supply. However, it indicates that the balance between supply and demand is still tight.
The latter is not ideal from an environmental point of view. It is symptomatic, however, of the limited short-term options available to the State. After initial difficulties in securing extra capacity, new, short-term emergency gas generation plant will now become available. More work is needed to secure supplies in this uncertain environment and to plan and invest for the energy transition to come, which will require a 50 per cent increase in electricity supply by 2030. A huge drive is needed to invest in renewables and to develop the national grid. And clear thinking is needed on what other supply sources are required as the transition progresses.