Eirgrid have responded to clarify some of the issues raised in Thursday’s Irish Farmers Journal article regarding the ESB’s submission to the Government’s Green paper on Energy Policy.

Eirgrid highlight the fact that they themselves constantly review future energy requirement projections, and adjust their own infrastructural development plans accordingly. The Grid25 spend has been revised downwards, from the original €4bn to €3.2bn.

The full statement reads as follows:

“The EirGrid figure(of a 45% increase in energy demand from 2008-2024)referred to is six years old and dates from the launch of the Grid25 strategy in 2008 prior to the economic recession. The scale of Grid25 was revised downwards from €4 billion to €3.2 billion in 2011 to adjust for the downturn in the economy. The level of demand for electricity is constantly reviewed and that figure has been amended a number of times in the intervening years.

The most recent figures, published in EirGrid’s Generation Capacity Statement in February of this year, indicate a likely increase in total electricity demand of 1.2 per cent per annum between 2014 and 2023.

The ESB submission to the Green Paper on energy policy clearly references the source of its figures as having been taken directly from EirGrid’s Generation Capacity Statement.

The EirGrid Generation Capacity Statement is published annually and is based on the Economic and Social Research Institute’s (ESRI) long-term forecast of moderate growth in economic activity. It is available here.

The need for new electricity infrastructure is constantly reviewed by EirGrid to ensure that the transmission system is developed in safe, secure and cost-effective manner that is in line with demand for electricity."