A squeeze on electricity supplies edged power cuts closer on Tuesday afternoon. National grid operator Eirgrid said low wind, unexpected power plant shutdowns and limited imports meant electricity supplies were tight.
Eirgrid issued a “system alert”, confirming there was enough electricity to meet demand, but possibly not enough in reserve should something go wrong.
The grid operator explained that the buffer between electricity demand and supply “is currently smaller than optimum” but stressed there was no loss of supply to customers.
“The system alert is expected to remain in place until this evening,” Eirgrid said.
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A statement added that the company was working with conventional generators and large energy users that can reduce their needs when demand is high to maximise their availability to the grid.
“We will communicate promptly should there be any significant changes to the status of the power system,” Eirgrid pledged.
The good weather means wind speeds are not high enough for renewable generators to produce electricity.
Forced outages at generators means technical problems that force gas and other conventional power plants to halt operations.
The State can also import power from Britain via undersea cables when that country is generating more electricity than it needs.
