Electric.ie Magazine Nov/Dec 2016

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52 • The Magazine & Website for the Irish Electrical Industry •
New Appointments at
ESB
The Minister for Communications,
Climate Action and Environment,
Denis Naughten, TD, has obtained
Government approval for the
appointment of Mr Alf Smiddy
ƒ† ” ƒ—Ž ›ƒ –‘ –Š‡ ‘ƒ”† ‘ˆ
ˆ‘” ƒ ’‡”‹‘† ‘ˆ Ƥ˜‡ ›‡ƒ”•Ǥ Š‡
ƒ’’‘‹–‡–• ƒ”‡ ‡ơ‡ –‹˜‡ ˆ”‘
4th October 2016.
Mr Lynam was chief executive,
chairman and director of Siemens
Ireland from 2010-2015, and chief
Ƥƒ ‹ƒŽ ‘ƥ ‡” ƒ† †‹”‡ –‘” ‘ˆ
the company between 2008 and
2010. Mr Smiddy is a chartered
accountant by profession and was
managing director of Cork brewer
Beamish & Crawford for over twelve
years up to 2008. He is currently
a non-executive director of the
ƒŽƒ–ƒ ‘–‡Ž ”‘—’ Ž Ǧ –Š‡ Žƒ”‰‡•–
hotel group in Ireland.
Minister Naughten said “I
am pleased to announce the
appointment of Mr Smiddy and
Mr Lynam to the Board of the
ESB. I believe these appointments
will ensure that the ESB group
of companies has access to key
expertise and competence, in
an organisation that plays an
important role in the Irish energy
market”.
Damage to East West
Interconnector
The East West Interconnector
ȋ Ȍ ™Š‹ Š ‹• ƒ ͜͜͡ ‡‰ƒ™ƒ––
link between the electricity
transmission grids of Ireland
and Britain is currently out of
commission due to a fault that
occurred during an annual
maintenance at the converter
station in Meath. A dedicated joint
task force has been established
between EirGrid and ABB, to
analyse the root cause as well as
put the link back into service at
the earliest opportunity. ABB
estimates a return to service by the
end of February 2017.
While the interconnector plays
an important role in transferring
’‘™‡” –‘ ƒ† ˆ”‘ –Š‡ ǡ ‹” ”‹†
has assured consumers that there
will be no implications for the
supply of electricity due to this
issue. There is an adequate supply
of electricity to meet demand over
the coming months.
Budget 2017
The recent
Budget tried to
give a little to
everyone. Here
are some of the
notable points.
The Self-
Employed will
„‡‡Ƥ– ˆ”‘ –Š‡ ‘„‹ƒ–‹‘ ‘ˆ
an increase in the Earned Income
Tax Credit by €400 to €950 along
with reductions in the USC
rates. Budget 2017 also includes a
new deal for up to 380,000 self-
‡’Ž‘›‡† ’‡‘’Ž‡ ™Š‘ ’ƒ›
at the S class. They will have
‡™ „‡‡Ƥ–• ‡š–‡†‡† –‘ –Š‡ǡ
‹ Ž—†‹‰ –”‡ƒ–‡– „‡‡Ƥ– •— Š
as free eye and dental tests for the
Ƥ”•– –‹‡ǡ ƒ† ƒ ‡•• –‘ –Š‡ •ƒˆ‡–›Ǧ
net of State income supports if
they have a serious illness or injury
that prevents them from working
without having to go through a
means test.
The Home Renovation Incentive –
a tax credit for house repair or
renovations will be extended
until 2018. This has been hugely
successful since its introduction
in 2013. Repair, maintenance
and improvement of residential
properties now accounts for
͢͞Ǥͣτ ‘ˆ –Š‡ ˜ƒŽ—‡ ‘ˆ ‘•–”— –‹‘
activity.
A major tax concession was
†‹”‡ –‡† ƒ– Ƥ”•–Ǧ–‹‡ Š‘—•‡ „—›‡”•ǡ
with a tax refund of up to €20,000
for those buying newly built homes
valued at up to €600,000. To
“—ƒŽ‹ˆ› Ƥ”•–Ǧ–‹‡ „—›‡”• —•– Šƒ˜‡
ƒ ‘”–‰ƒ‰‡ ‡“—ƒŽ –‘ ƒ– Ž‡ƒ•– ͣ͜τ
of the purchase price of the house.
Š‹• Šƒ• „‡‡ ”‡†— ‡† ˆ”‘ ͤ͜τǡ
following concerns raised by the
Central Bank. It is hoped that this
measure will alleviate the lack of
supply in the new builds market.
Capital investment is being
increased to allow for school
„—‹Ž†‹‰ ‘•–”— –‹‘ ƒ† ƪ‘‘†
relief schemes. €90 million is
being provided for the Renewable
Heat Incentive, Better Energy
Grant schemes and the Electric
‡Š‹ Ž‡• —„•‹†› Šƒ• ƒŽ•‘ „‡‡
‡š–‡†‡† ˆ‘” ƒ‘–Š‡” Ƥ˜‡ ›‡ƒ”•Ǥ
Tesla Motors to open
Irish store in 2017
According to The Irish Times,
electric car giant Tesla is coming
to Ireland next year. The Silicon
ƒŽŽ‡› Ƥ”ǡ Ž‡† „› –‡ Š ‹‘˜ƒ–‘”
Elon Musk, is preparing to open a
store in Ireland in 2017, along with
rolling out supercharging stations
across the country.
The supercharging stations allow
for fast, free recharging for Tesla
owners. Each station comprises
between six and eight charging
stands and are usually located near
food and retail centres. According
to the company, 30 minutes
plugged into one of these stands
gives a Tesla a range of over 270km.
‘”†‹‰ –‘ ‘ƥ ‹ƒŽ Ƥ‰—”‡•ǡ ‡•Žƒǯ•
—””‡– ƪ‡‡– ‘ˆ ‡Ž‡ –”‹ ˜‡Š‹ Ž‡•
can travel up to 613km on a single
full charge.
In Brief