Ireland’s electricity grid is currently connected to both Northern Ireland’s and Great Britain’s grids. EirGrid owns and operates the East West Interconnector linking Ireland to Wales.
Currently, the Irish TSO, in conjunction with the French TSO RTE, is building a 575 km interconnector to France called the Celtic Interconnector. It is partially funded by the EU and will be completed in 2026.
These interconnectors support supply security and the integration of more renewables into the electricity system.
“Because we’re an island, it’s important that we’re connected to other grids. Ireland’s grid is synchronised with the grid of Northern Ireland and we have a HVDC connection to Great Britain via Wales. We are engaging with our neighbouring countries in order to collectively transition towards a renewable energy future,” EirGrid’s Head of Future Operations Eoin Kennedy says.
Working towards 80% renewable electricity sources by 2030
In 2020, about 40% of Ireland’s electricity came from renewable sources, but they are working towards 80% by 2030, as set out by the Government.
Wind power has a major role in this change, and currently 34% of Ireland’s electricity is produced with onshore wind power. EirGrid is making Ireland’s grid renewable ready, as it needs to be stronger and more flexible.
“Today, our main energy sources are gas and onshore wind. The next tranche of renewable energy will be dominated by offshore and the Government has a target of 5 GW of offshore wind by 2030,” Kennedy says.
There is also increasing investment in solar energy.
“Over the last decade, EirGrid has made huge strides in operating the grid with very high levels of renewables and now 75% of electricity on the grid can come from renewables at any given time. In the future, we will need more energy storage and interconnection between grids.”
The shift towards green energy means there is a need to employ more people with skills to work with renewable energy.
“It’s a highly competitive market and we need to work closely with universities and research institutions to secure a pipeline of new, skilled employees,” Kennedy says.
