EirGrid plc Annual Report 2011

EirGrid plc Annual Report & Accounts 2011
lives and environment. The programme will be held in
selected regional venues during 2012.
Recognising in addition, the needs of communities
in areas where we do business, we provided funding
during the year for projects in a number of areas.
Health and Safety
The appropriate management of Health, Safety
and the Environment is critical to the operations
of the company, and our management of these
internal and external audits during the year. EirGrid
operates a Health, Safety & Environmental (HS&E)
Management System based on the requirements
of the International Occupational Health & Safety
Standard: OHSAS18001:2007 and the Environmental
Management Standard ISO14001:2004. EirGrid adheres
to all relevant national and international standards in
its operation of the power system.
In relation to maintaining a safe workplace, I am
pleased to report that there were no lost-time accidents
across the Group and that all monitoring programmes
have been completed against plan. In addition, as part
of our 24/7 approach to the health, safety and welfare
of all staff, we held a number of workshops on issues
such as first aid, fire and gas safety in our Dublin and
Belfast premises during the year.
Looking Ahead
In the energy sphere, the next five years will be
transformational for the island of Ireland.
The completion of EirGrid’s East West Interconnector in
2012 will bring interconnection capacity to 15% of peak
demand. To enable the benefits of this interconnection
to be fully realised, we are working in a coordinated
way with the regulatory authorities to deliver Intraday
Trading to the SEM during 2012, and beyond that to
evolve the SEM to full compliance with the European
Target Market Model by 2016.
There are still difficulties and challenges to be
overcome to achieve the 40% target set for renewables
in both jurisdictions by 2020. SONI and EirGrid are
working jointly to address the technical challenges
involved in operating a power system with up to 75%
instantaneous renewable penetration, through the
DS3 Smart Grid Programme, and other elements of our
Smart Grid strategy. In this we are working closely with
the industry and we have established a representative
Advisory Council to ensure a joined-up approach across
issues with industry.
A critical objective for EirGrid during 2012 and beyond
is to build further momentum behind the Grid25
programme. In this we look forward to working with
the Government to develop a national policy statement
for transmission development, supported by a set
of national planning guidelines for such critical
infrastructure development.
In parallel, we will this year continue our intensive
programme of engagement, consultation and public
information, working with communities on the need
for new and upgraded infrastructure and how this is
best delivered - a key aspect of this work will be our
education outreach and engagement programme.
I believe that putting in place a secure, sustainable
and competitive electricity supply, and investing in
vital infrastructure, is essential to the recovery of the
economies in Ireland and Northern Ireland. All of us
in the EirGrid Group will continue to work as hard as
we can, alongside our customers and stakeholders,
to ensure this is delivered.
Dermot Byrne CHIEF EXECUTIVE
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