Emergency planning exercises are to begin on Friday to war-game the impact of a major disruption to gas and electricity supplies.
The exercises — which the Government says are to prepare for a “hypothetical and unlikely” disruption — will be held on September 9th and 16th. The department has code-named them ‘Project Dara’.
They will bring together a range of different agencies involved in running the electricity and gas systems.
“While a significant disruption to energy supplies is unlikely, any such event has the potential to have an impact across multiple sectors,” the Department of the Environment said in a statement.
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The emergency exercises will involved Gas Networks Ireland, Eirgrid, ESB Networks and the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU). The Department said that emergency planning had been carried out before but that this year a joint exercise was being undertaken involving bodies from both gas and electricity sectors “reflecting a broadening of the scenarios under consideration”.
Gas Networks Ireland will lead the exercises on gas related exercises with Eirgrid leading on electricity related matters, and the CRU overseeing emergency plans, working in conjunction with the Department of the Environment.
“Gas Networks Ireland and Eirgrid have robust procedures in place to maintain security of gas and electricity supplies, and regularly participate in simulation exercises to test a range of potential scenarios. The role played by these bodies is critical, in ensuring a co-ordinated response to major incidents, in the rare event that they might occur”.
The department said that an event like this, while unlikely, “has the potential to have an impact across multiple sectors”. It said that established Strategic Emergency Management (SEM) frameworks would ensure a whole of Government response is such circumstances arose.
“In such circumstances, the Department for the Environment, Climate and Communications would become the lead Government Department and would convene and chair the National Emergency Coordination Group (NECG) in the National Energy Coordination Centre (NECC) — to co-ordinate the Government’s response to the energy emergency,” the Department said.
