To ask the Minister for the Economy what actions she is taken to ensure resilience in the Northern Ireland electricity grid against the possibility of more severe weather events in the future as a result of climate change.

NIE Networks is responsible for the maintenance and resilience of the electricity network in Northern Ireland and has provided my department with the following assurances:

Annually NIE Networks refurbish or upgrade c. 1,800km of overhead line network across all voltage levels. This work includes removing aged wooden poles, weaker overhead line conductors, etc. and where required, replaced with modern specification equipment capable of withstanding more severe weather.

NIE Networks also annually maintain safety clearances to c. 10,000 km of overhead lines (and other equipment) across all voltage levels from nearby vegetation. The cutting cycle has been changed to help accommodate increased tree growth due to climate change and this is kept under constant review.

For all large substations (transmission and primary distribution levels) if the substation is within a predicted flooding area, a site specific flood risk assessment is undertaken to determine the predicted flood depth and the subsequent flood defence/protection required. In doing this, NIE Networks is working towards the 2080 climate change models that were developed by the Met Office in its UK Climate Projections (UKCP 18).

NIE Networks is also reviewing its technical standards for electrical plant and apparatus to operate in wider temperature ranges, with higher average summer temperatures.