Written Answers. - Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
Mary Flaherty
Question:
33
Miss Flaherty
asked the
Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications
the steps, if any, he is taking to reduce or contain emissions of greenhouse gases, including increased investment in renewable energy, energy conservation and public transport; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[8632/96]
The European Union has adopted the objective of stabilising CO2 emissions in the Union as a whole at 1990 levels by the year 2000.
Ireland's National CO2 abatement strategy was formulated in 1993 with the objective of limiting the increase in CO2 emissions to 20 per cent over 1990 levels by 2000. This strategy was designed around targets and measures which will accommodate necessary economic growth in addition to contributing to the stabilisation of community CO2 emissions. Measures in the areas of transport and energy policy will contribute to the realisation of these objectives.
The Operational Programme for Transport 1994-1999 includes provision for substantial EU assisted investments in the mainline railway network and public transport services in the greater Dublin area. Total investment in the mainline rail work will amount to £275 million in the period.
An investment of £295 million will enable substantial progress to be made on implementation of the public transport elements of the Dublin Transportation Initiative (DTI) including the introduction of a light rail network and quality bus corridors. Implementation of the DTI strategy will result in a significant shift from private to public transport and produce positive environmental effects with a marked reduction in COS and other pollutants.
Energy efficiency has been highlighted as a means of reducing CO2 and other harmful emissions. In this regard I refer to the work of the Irish Energy Centre which is a joint initiative of my Department and Fobairt. The centre was established in 1994 and its budget for the period 1994 to 1999 is £21 million. The centre operates two grant schemes, the energy audit grant scheme and the energy efficiency investment support scheme which provides funds for energy auditing and investment activities.
In addition, I have placed a high priority on the promotion of renewable energy. The first alternative energy requirement, known as AER 1, resulted in the offering of 34 contracts to independent producers of electricity from alternative energy sources which amount to a total additional electrical capacity of 111 MW.
Technologies supported were wind energy, hydro energy, land fill gas, energy from waste and combined heat and power. The results represent a total investment in alternative energy in the order of £70 million.
In December 1995, I launched a competition for the construction and operation of a biomass fuelled power plant of up to 30MW electrical capacity. This initiative will be grant supported up to £7.5 million, to be funded from the European Regional Development Fund. The plant must be operational by the end of 1999.
On 26 April last, I made a statement on long-term renewable energy policy and copies of my strategy document are available in the Oireachtas Library.
The strategy sets targets of 100MW for the installation of additional electricity from renewable energy sources by 1999, which will be supported by up to £7.5 million European Regional Development Fund funding, and the installation of further renewable electricity capacity of 390 MW by 2010. This initiative and the other measures already outlined by me will contribute to the realisation of Ireland's CO2 emission targets.
For each MW of renewable energy installed, CO2 emissions are reduced by an average of 1,000 tonnes per annum. Therefore, my initiatives could reduce CO2 by 250,000 tonnes per annum by the year 2000.
