“There is a real issue. It has been very tight, it is very tight."
Energy supplies in Ireland are entering a “very tight situation”, according to Eamon Ryan.
The Green Party leader and Minister for the Environment, Transport and Climate said on Monday that while the situation remains “very tight”, he believes the country "will be able to manage it”.
“There is a real issue. It has been very tight, it is very tight," he added.
“We have a very tight supply issue - But, we have a path, we know what we need to do. It’s both managing demand and supply.”
He said the approach would be focused on renewable energy supplies such as wind, which he described as having "real potential".
“Wind power at sea is huge. There’s real potential for us to tap into that, and be able to power not just industry, but transport, heat, a whole range of different needs," he said.
“As we develop that we need balancing power and a lot of that will be battery.
“It’s a very tight situation for the next two to three, four years, while we build up some of those battery and gas-fired back-up systems.”
The Sunday Business Post reported this week that energy supplier EirGrid is set to release a report warning it will be unable to generate enough electricity to meet an increase in demand over the coming years.
Ryan added: “It is tight and it’s tight because those two large gas plants were out of action for a year
“A lot of other plants, because of Covid, are having to go to maintenance.
“So we’re very conscious of that. We’ll see Eirgrid and crew coming out this week, with their capacity statements, with their paths to manage this. I think we will be able to manage it.”
Main Image: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie.
