Eirgrid chief says 80% renewables target ‘a nice surprise’

Mark Foley said the €1 billion outlined for grid upgrades was calculated on the basis of a previously agreed goal of 70 per cent

Mark Foley, chief executive of Eirgrid: ‘We need time and space to figure out the best economic pathway to 80 per cent.’ Picture: Aidan Crawley

Reaching the government’s new target of 80 per cent renewables on the electricity grid will require more than the additional €1 billion in funding outlined last week, the chief executive of Eirgrid has said.

Mark Foley was speaking to the Business Post at Cop26 after he described the Climate Action Plan’s new 2030 renewables target as “a nice surprise” during an event at the conference.

Eirgrid, the national grid operator, last week launched a new ...