ELECTRICITY SUPPLY IN IRELAND

In Ireland electricity is generated from gas, coal, oil and renewable souces, although most electricity is generated from gas. At the time of writing electricity in Ireland is generated by the Electricity Supply Board (ESB), a government owned company. The ESB owns and runs the electricity network and operates 19 large power stations and a number of smaller stations at 28 sites. After EU directive 96/92/EC was passed in 2000 the electricity market in Ireland was deregulated and in 2005 retail consumer electricity sales were opened to full competition. The national grid, a high voltage transmission system for the transmission of electricity, supplies electricity from the generator to consumers. EirGrid, a state-owned body, is the transmission system operator and is responsible for the operation, development, and maintenance of electricity transmission. ESB Networks which is part of the ESB, runs the transmission system and is in charge of maintenance and construction of the system. A medium and low voltage network then delivers electricity from high voltage transformers to end the users such as homes. This is owned by ESB Networks. ESB Networks is the distribution system operator and so has responsibility  for maintaining and operating all the distribution cabling and connections between high voltage step-down transformers and the end uers, including all overhead electricity lines, poles and underground cables. ESB Networks has responsibility for all electricity customers, irrespective of their supplier including connections to the network, reading meters and passing these readings to the different supply companies and restoring electricity supply after power cuts and in emergencies