Power to the people faces a huge challenge

Energy demands set to soar by 45% in 9 years

- BY DANNY DE VAAL

IRELAND'S electricity demands will surge by 45% over the next nine years while peak demand will be up by 24%, research has found.

The findings were contained in EirGrid's All-Island Resource Adequacy Assessment which aimed to find out more about the gap between demand and supply in Ireland over the next decade.

In January, Ireland recorded a new peak demand of 6,024 MW which was the first time peak electricity demand passed the 6,000 MW mark.

Demand first passed the 5,000 MW mark during the extreme cold snap of December 2010 but it's reckoned that by 2034, it will be above the 7,000 MW mark.

Experts declared the outlook between now and 2027 will be "challenging" until new power sources are made available.

BLACKOUTS

They also revealed during this period, the country’s usage could eventually exceed the current supply, particularly in more challenging circumstances.