Backup power supply may not meet demand
It has been revealed that electricity interconnectors linking Ireland with Scotland don’t have the capacity to meet peak demand in an emergency.
The North’s Consumer Council said that power cuts across much of Northern Ireland last night should be taken as a warning for us to ensure that the interconnectors are robust enough to provide necessary backup supplies.
Over 120,000 homes and businesses in parts of Belfast, and large areas of counties Down and Antrim were blacked out for several hours yesterday, when a power station in Carrickfergus broke down while another in Larne was undergoing maintenance work.
The Northern Ireland Electricity company today admitted that the interconnectors with Scotland provided enough power for normal demand but not for peak times.
Ireland gets its extra electricity from Scotland via these same interconnectors.
