Electricity Sector In Ireland
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The electricity sectors of the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
and
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
are integrated and supply 2.5 million customers from a combination of
coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...
,
peat Peat is an accumulation of partially Decomposition, decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, Moorland, moors, or muskegs. ''Sphagnum'' moss, also called peat moss, is one of the most ...
,
natural gas Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...
,
wind Wind is the natural movement of atmosphere of Earth, air or other gases relative to a planetary surface, planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heatin ...
and
hydropower Hydropower (from Ancient Greek -, "water"), also known as water power or water energy, is the use of falling or fast-running water to Electricity generation, produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by energy transformation, ...
. In 2022, 34 TWh were generated. In 2018 natural gas produced 51.8%, while wind turbines generated 28.1%, coal 7%, and peat 6.8% of Ireland's average electricity demand. In 2020 wind turbines generated 36.3% of Ireland's electrical demand, one of the highest wind power proportions in the world. While the United Kingdom was one of the first countries in the world to deploy commercial nuclear power plants, the
island of Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially named Irelanda sovereign state covering five-sixths of th ...
has never had a nuclear power plant built on either side of the Irish border. Nuclear power in Ireland was discussed in the 1960s and 1970s but ultimately never phased in, with legislation now in place explicitly forbidding its introduction. The grid runs as a synchronous electrical grid and in terms of interconnections has undersea DC-only connections to the UK National Grid, alongside plans in the advanced stage for a higher power, planned
Celtic Interconnector The Celtic Interconnector is a 700 MW high-voltage direct current (HVDC) submarine power cable under construction between the southern coast of Ireland and the north-west coast of France. It will be the first such interconnector between the two co ...
to France. In the 2019 UK General Election 2019, the
Democratic Unionist Party The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is a Unionism in Ireland, unionist, Ulster loyalism, loyalist, British nationalist and national conservative political party in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1971 during the Troubles by Ian Paisley, who ...
included in their manifesto a proposal to link
Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...
to Northern Ireland (a variant on
Icelink Icelink is a proposed electricity interconnector between Iceland and the United Kingdom via Great Britain. At , the 8001,200MW high-voltage direct current (HVDC) link would be the longest sub-sea power interconnector in the world. The project pa ...
).


Island system

The electricity sector in Ireland previously operated as two separate markets:
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
operated as part of the UK, and the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
operated its own separate market. On 1 November 2007 the two
Transmission System Operator File:Electricity grid simple- North America.svg, 380px, Simplified diagram of AC electricity grid from generation stations to consumers in North America rect 2 243 235 438 Power station rect 276 317 412 556 Transformer rect 412 121 781 400 Elect ...
s (System Operator Northern Ireland and
EirGrid EirGrid plc is the state-owned electric power transmission operator in Ireland. It is a public limited company registered under the Companies Acts; its shares are held by the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications. It is one ...
) established the Single Electricity Market for the island of Ireland. This market has created "a gross mandatory pool market, into which all electricity generated on or imported onto the island of Ireland must be sold, and from which all wholesale electricity for consumption on or export from the island of Ireland must be purchased". According to the Electricity Association of Ireland, in 2013 the Single Electricity Market had approximately 2.5 million customers; 1.8 million in the Republic and 0.7 million in Northern Ireland. The effect of
Brexit Brexit (, a portmanteau of "Britain" and "Exit") was the Withdrawal from the European Union, withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). Brexit officially took place at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February ...
on the Single Electricity Market has yet to be defined. Ireland and Northern Ireland form a regional group of the Europe-wide
ENTSO-E The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) is an association representing 40 electricity transmission system operators (TSOs) from 36 countries across Europe, thus extending beyond EU borders. It manages the ...
organisation. The networks are not yet interconnected with the Continental Europe grid, but have interconnection with the British network through the
Moyle Interconnector The Moyle Interconnector is a 500megawatt (MW) HVDC link between Scotland and Northern Ireland, running between Auchencrosh in Ayrshire and Ballycronan More in County Antrim. It went into service in 2001 and is owned and operated by Mutual Ene ...
and the
East–West Interconnector The East–West Interconnector is a 500MW high-voltage direct current submarine and subsoil power cable from 2012 which connects the Irish and British electricity markets, between Dublin and the Wales/England border. The project was developed ...
. In 2014, the island had an electricity interconnection level (international transmission capacity relative to production capacity) of 9%, below the recommended 10% level.COM/2015/082 final: "Achieving the 10% electricity interconnection target
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European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...
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Electricity in the Republic of Ireland

Electricity generators in the Republic of Ireland are ESB, SSE, Synergen (70% ESB), Edenderry Power, Endesa-Ireland and Huntstown (Viridian). ESB owns the transmission and distribution networks. The
transmission system operator File:Electricity grid simple- North America.svg, 380px, Simplified diagram of AC electricity grid from generation stations to consumers in North America rect 2 243 235 438 Power station rect 276 317 412 556 Transformer rect 412 121 781 400 Elect ...
is
EirGrid EirGrid plc is the state-owned electric power transmission operator in Ireland. It is a public limited company registered under the Companies Acts; its shares are held by the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications. It is one ...
plc, which assumed the role from ESB Networks on 1 July 2006. EirGrid ensures the safe, secure and economic operation of the high voltage electricity grid.
EirGrid EirGrid plc is the state-owned electric power transmission operator in Ireland. It is a public limited company registered under the Companies Acts; its shares are held by the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications. It is one ...
is owned by the Irish State and is established as a result of a government decision to create an independent organisation to carry out the transmission system operator function, in order to assist the liberalisation of Ireland's electricity industry and the development of a competitive market. The electricity industry is regulated by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities which also regulates the natural gas market. The functions and duties of the commission have been altered and expanded significantly by legislation transposing EU directives into Irish law.


Renewable energy


Wind energy


Electricity Grid

The high-voltage Irish electricity transmission grid comprises 6,800 km of power lines and operates at 400 kV, 220 kV and 110 kV. Substations provide entry points to, and exits from, the transmission grid. Entry points include thermal and hydro-electric power stations, major wind farms, and inter-connectors from other countries and regions. Exit points are to lower voltage (220 kV, 110 kV, and 38 kV) transmission and distribution substations. EirGrid is the Transmission System Operator (TSO), and ESB Networks is the Transmission Asset Owner (TAO). There are two 400 kV lines. One is from
Moneypoint power station Moneypoint power station () is Ireland's largest electricity generation station (with an output 915 MW) and its only coal-fired power station. Commissioned between 1985 and 1987, it is located on the River Shannon, near Kilrush in County Clare, ...
to Woodland substation where there is a connection to the 400 kV DC East-West Interconnector. The Oldstreet 400 kV substation is an intermediate substation on this line. The second line is from Moneypoint power station to Dunstown 400 kV substation. There are 220 kV substations at: Aghada power station, Arklow, Arva, Ballyvouskill, Ballynahulla, Belcamp, Carrickmines, Cashla, Clashavoon, Clonee, Corduff, Cowcross, Cullenagh, Dunstown, Finglas, Flagford, Glanagow power station, Gorman, Great Island power station, Huntstown power station, Kellistown, Kilpaddoge, Killonan, Knockraha, Killonan, Lodgewood, Louth (and a connection to the 275 kV Northern Ireland grid), Maynooth, Moneypoint power station, Prospect, Raffee, Shannonbridge, Srananagh, Tarbert power station, Turlough Hill, and West Dublin. Ireland has several
grid energy storage Grid energy storage, also known as large-scale energy storage, are technologies connected to the electrical power grid that store energy for later use. These systems help balance supply and demand by storing excess electricity from variabl ...
facilities with a combined 1.1 GW power, of which some are bidding into Ireland's DS3 grid services market for frequency control. Approved projects:


Electricity in Northern Ireland

There are three power stations in Northern Ireland: Ballylumford power station, Coolkeeragh power station and Kilroot power station. Northern Ireland Electricity (a subsidiary of
ESB Group The Electricity Supply Board (ESB; ) is a state owned (95%; the rest are owned by employees) electricity company based in Ireland with operations worldwide. While historically a monopoly, the ESB now operates as a commercial semi-state concer ...
) owns the
transmission Transmission or transmit may refer to: Science and technology * Power transmission ** Electric power transmission ** Transmission (mechanical device), technology that allows controlled application of power *** Automatic transmission *** Manual tra ...
and
distribution Distribution may refer to: Mathematics *Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations *Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a varia ...
networks. The single electricity market means that Northern Ireland Electricity carries electricity on its network in exchange for a regulated charge to the electricity supply company. As of September 2011, domestic customers in Northern Ireland are able to buy electricity from Electric Ireland, Power NI, Airtricity, Click Energy or Budget Energy. Industrial and commercial customers are able to choose from several other electricity suppliers. The transmission system operator is System Operator Northern Ireland, which ensures the safe, secure and economic operation of the high voltage electricity grid. Its counterpart in the Republic of Ireland is EirGrid. Both of these are owned by EirGrid plc which also (through a joint partnership) acts as the single energy market operator, i.e., runs the new all-island wholesale market for electricity.


Electricity Regulation

The electricity industry in Northern Ireland is regulated by the Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation. The authority is an independent public body established to oversee and regulate the electricity, gas, water and sewerage industries in Northern Ireland. The Authority is a non-ministerial government department responsible for promoting the short and long term interests of consumers. It does not make policy, but ensures that the energy and water utility industries are regulated and developed within ministerial policies. It is governed by a board of directors and is accountable to the
Northern Ireland Assembly The Northern Ireland Assembly (; ), often referred to by the metonym ''Stormont'', is the devolved unicameral legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliam ...
.


History

The office of Director General of Electricity Supply for Northern Ireland was established in 1992 in association with the privatisation of electricity supplies in Northern Ireland. The Director General was appointed by the Department of Economic Development to regulate the electricity industry. Statutory duties included ensuring that all reasonable demands for electricity were satisfied; that licence holders were able to finance their activities; to promote competition in the generation and supply of electricity; to protect the interests of consumers of electricity in terms of price and continuity of supply; to promote efficiency and economy; to promote research and development; to protect the public from danger; and to secure the health and safety of persons employed in the generation, transmission or supply of electricity. The regulatory system was reformed in 2003 to combine the regulation of electricity and natural gas into a single energy regulator. The Northern Ireland Authority for Energy Regulation was established and the offices of Director General of Gas for Northern Ireland and Director General of Electricity Supply for Northern Ireland were abolished. The posts of Chief Executive and Chair of the Energy Regulator were split in 2006. In April 2007 the regulatory system for utilities was further reformed to encompass the water supply and sewage industries. The Northern Ireland Authority for Energy Regulation became the Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation. The board of directors is responsible for the overall strategic direction of the organisation. The board comprises a non-executive chairman, four non-executive members and the chief executive. The key functional areas in the organisation are Network Operations, Wholesale, Retail and Consumer Protection, and Corporate Affairs.


Key people

Director General of Electricity Supply * Geoffrey Horton, 1992–1995 * Douglas Bowman McIldoon (b. 1945), 1995–2003. Was also Director General of Gas Supply. Chair and Chief Executive of Energy Regulation * Douglas Bowman McIldoon, 2003–June 2006. Chief Executive of Energy Regulation * Iain Osborne, June 2006 – 2007 Chief Executive of Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation * Iain Osborne, 2007–December 2010 * Shane Lynch, January 2011–October 2013 * Jenny Pyper, October 2013–Autumn 2020 Chair of Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation * Professor Peter Matthews, 2006–July 2012 * Dr Bill Emery, July 2012–date (2020)


See also

* List of power stations in the Republic of Ireland * Renewable energy in the Republic of Ireland * List of high-voltage transmission links in the Republic of Ireland *
Energy law Energy laws govern the use and taxation of energy, both renewable and non-renewable. These laws are the primary authorities (such as caselaw, statutes, rules, regulations and edicts) related to energy. In contrast, energy policy refers to ...


References


External links


EAI: Electricity Association of IrelandSingle Electricity Market Operator for the Island of IrelandIsland of Ireland Electricity RegulationCommission for Energy RegulationNorthern Ireland Authority for Energy RegulationRepublic of Ireland Transmission Network OperatorSystem Operator for Northern Ireland (SONI)Republic of Ireland Electricity SuppliersNorthern Ireland Electricity SuppliersTransmission map
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