This week

— Philip Connolly, EnergyView

01

Stat of the week

39%

Renewables supplied 39% of Ireland's electricity in May, up from 33% a year earlier.

Solar set the pace at a record 7.8% of the fuel mix, with a new grid-scale peak of 1,222 MW on 25 May. Wind contributed 28%.

02

Energy news

7 pieces

Net Zero Energy's €2bn Carlow cavern

Net Zero Energy set out plans for a €2bn, 600 MW long-duration energy storage project at Rathoe, outside Tullow in Co Carlow, producing green hydrogen and holding it in lined rock caverns, which the developer says could meet around 10% of peak electricity demand. Chairman Tim Cowhig framed it as flexible, dispatchable capacity for a wind-and-solar system.

DCEE opens a Call for Evidence on geological H₂ storage

The Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment opened a Call for Evidence on hydrogen geological storage development on 8 June, the same week the Rathoe project surfaced, under the National Hydrogen Strategy. The strategy's own timeline runs geological studies to 2028 with a regulatory framework by then.

SSE revises its Mullafarry BESS

SSE is lodging a revised planning application with Mayo County Council for its consented Mullafarry Battery Energy Storage System, a project with up to two hours of duration.

SSE plans a Midlands operations base

SSE Renewables confirmed a new operations and maintenance base at Rhode, Co Offaly, to support its onshore wind portfolio across the Midlands.

Tipperary AD permission extension refused

A council refused an extension of planning permission for a large-scale anaerobic digestion facility at Sandymount Farms, Ballingarry, Co Tipperary, developed by Robert Clarke and designed to produce biomethane from agricultural feedstocks.

CRU data shows 500,000 households in arrears

CRU data reported this week shows more than 500,000 Irish households now in energy arrears, alongside an ESRI analysis finding that energy price rises weigh more heavily on lower-income households.

Ireland takes the EU chair on 1 July

Ireland assumes its eighth presidency of the Council of the EU on 1 July for six months, with the Policy Programme launched at Dublin Castle on 10 June by Taoiseach Micheál Martin around three pillars, competitiveness, security and values. On energy the presidency has put energy security, the EU electricity grids package and the next revision of the Emissions Trading System at the centre of its work, alongside the 'One Europe, One Market' competitiveness roadmap and a stated ambition to make Europe the world's first true electric continent.

03

Live tenders

2 open

DCEE · External economic advisory for the RESS

Economic advice on the next phases of the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme. RESS auctions are the main onshore route to market, so the design choices here set developer economics for the coming rounds.

Department of Transport · Commercial feasibility assessment for eSAF production

Published 18 May. Whether synthetic aviation fuel can be made commercially in the State. ReFuelEU sets a rising synthetic share, 1.2% from 2030 and 5% by 2035, and eSAF is the green-hydrogen and captured-CO₂ route that ties aviation to Ireland's hydrogen plans.

04

Job postings

15 roles

05

Conferences & webinars

Next months

Coming up

Hold the dates

If Ireland goes down the hydrogen-for-power pathway, storage will be fundamental. Storing energy produced on the island will protect Ireland from the fossil fuel price spikes we have seen recently.

Philip ConnollyEditor · EnergyView

EnergyView

Energy policy, from inside the sector.

energyview.ie  ·  Archive  ·  Forward this issue

You're receiving this because you subscribed at energyview.ie. EnergyView, Dublin, Ireland.