Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 16 Apr 1996

Vol. 463 No. 8

Written Answers. - Energy Costs Comparison.

Trevor Sargent

Question:

179 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications if he has compared the cost effectiveness of large scale energy conservation measures with the capital costs of building another new generating station at an unidentified location in the midlands; and if so, the results of such a comparative study. [7479/96]

Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications (Mr. Lowry)

The new peat generating station planned for the midlands area will be a state of the art facility. It will be the most efficient plant of its kind in the country. It is being built to sustain economic activity in the east midlands region which is dependent on the peat industry. Many of the existing peat power stations are now too old to provide a long-term future for peat production. The station will also make maximum use of a major indigenous energy resource at a time when our natural gas reserves are nearing exhaustion.

For these reasons, the question of large scale conservation measures, as an alternative to this project, did not arise.

The building of the new peat generating station in the midlands is one of an integrated and mutually reinforcing set of energy related measures being funded under the economic infrastructure operational programme, one of which is a well resourced energy conservation programme.

Under that operational programme, £21 million has been provided for series of energy efficiency and conservation measures, including a number of grant schemes, a technical advice programme, educational initiatives, regional energy efficiency offices and promotional initiatives. The end objective of these measures, which are co-ordinated by the recently established Irish Energy Centre, is an annual sustainable energy savings rate of £50 million by the end of 1999.