Combination locks: hybrids and connections in Ireland

On 27 March the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) issued its final decision on the Enduring Connection Policy Stage 1 (ECP-1). The decision was largely as expected with at least 1,000MW of new connection offers under the 2018 batch.

Our previous blog (“Sunblock”) highlighted the oversubscription issues in the market with nearly 2,000MW of eligible capacity in the pipeline for the 400MW ringfenced DS3 allocation and a further 33,000MW of non-DS3 projects in the queue. Whilst 2018 connections might be a pipe dream for many, going forwards we argue that there are still opportunities for renewables projects to gain a connection.

This week’s chart shows a simplified line diagram from a hybrid generation site; a site which combines different forms of load behind a single connection. 

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