Written Answers Nos. 286-294
286. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources when gas supplies from the Corrib gas field will become available on the national grid; the extent to which various towns and villages throughout the country are likely to benefit from this source in the near future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11046/15]
View answerCompletion of the Corrib gas field development works, by the developer, is the principal factor that will determine the date for first gas. Construction and testing of the infrastructure will be completed shortly, with first gas anticipated in mid 2015. It is estimated that the project will have an operating life span of between 15 to 20 years and gas production will on average meet 42% of all island gas demand over the first 2 years of operation declining thereafter. I understand that the bulk of the gas produced from the Corrib field will be supplied to the national grid via the 149km pipeline constructed by Bord Gáis Networks (now Gas Networks Ireland) and which runs from the Gas terminal in Bellanaboy, Co. Mayo, to Ballymoneen outside of Galway.
287. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the various non-fossil fuel alternatives currently available or likely to become available in respect of home heating; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11048/15]
View answerThe 2009 EU Renewable Energy Directive set Ireland a legally binding target of meeting 16% of our energy requirements from renewable sources by 2020. Ireland is committed to meeting 40% of electricity demand from renewable sources, with 10% for transport and 12% for heat. In 2013, 5.7% of heat demand was met by energy from renewable sources.
There are a number of renewable heat technologies available in the domestic heat sector, including biomass boilers, electric heaters, air and ground source heat pumps and solar heating.
The most significant support for domestic heating is Part L of the Building Regulations which introduce requirements regarding conservation of fuel and energy for new dwellings. Planned reviews of these regulations, for buildings other than dwellings, to achieve Nearly Zero Energy Buildings status, are also expected to result in increasing the uptake of renewable heat from a range of sources. In addition, the Better Energy Homes scheme, operated by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), provides supports to homeowners for energy efficiency measures including the installation of solar heating.
Furthermore, the European Union (Energy Efficiency) Regulations, 2014 set out a range of requirements for the promotion of energy efficiency, including a requirement for the SEAI to undertake an assessment of the potential for the application of cost beneficial district heating and Combined Heat and Power in Ireland. The development of biomass-fuelled CHP and district heating, as well as improving energy efficiency, has the potential to contribute to our renewable energy targets. The comprehensive assessment is expected to be completed this year.
288. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will express, as a percentage of daily electricity requirements, the volume of electricity now being generated from oil, gas, wind, biomass or other alternatives, including those likely to become available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11049/15]
View answerThe information sought by the Deputy is available in the public domain.
The EirGrid Smart Grid Dashboard (publicly available on EirGrid’s smart grid dashboard website at http://smartgriddashboard.eirgrid.com/ ) sets out the System Generation fuel mix and net imports across the power system in the all-island wholesale electricity market (SEM). It shows the average fuel mix for the last 24 hours, the last week and the last month, on an all-island, Ireland and Northern Ireland basis.
Under Regulation 25 of SI No. 60 of 2005, the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) is required to ensure that all electricity suppliers provide reliable information on bills and promotional materials sent to customers regarding the contribution of each energy source to the overall fuel mix of the supplier concerned. To this end, the CER publishes an annual Information Paper on Disclosure of Fuel Mix and CO2 Emissions which sets out the fuel mixes and CO2 emissions factors for suppliers licensed in Ireland and operating in the Single Electricity Market (SEM), as calculated in accordance with the SEM-11-095 Decision Paper on Fuel Mix Disclosure in the Single Electricity Market: Calculation Methodology. The most recent Fuel Mix Disclosure and CO2 Emissions publication is for 2013 and is available at http://www.cer.ie/docs/000414/CER14297%20CER%20Fuel%20Mix%20Disclosure%202013%20Information%20Document%20(1).pdf
Among the relevant SEAI publications, in the public domain, containing relevant data on electricity generation fuel mixes in Ireland, are (a) Renewable Energy in Ireland 2013 and (b) Energy in Ireland 1990-2013 Report, both of which are publicly available on the SEAI website at http://www.seai.ie/.
289. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the extent to which he and his European Union colleagues have discussed the issue of energy costs here and throughout the European Union, with particular reference to the need for oil companies to pass on oil price reductions to the consumer, including the motorist, domestic households and commercial users; the extent to which the economic benefit continues to be assessed in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11050/15]
View answerThe fall in oil and gas prices on international markets, although referenced at recent meetings between energy ministers, has not been a specific topic of discussion. One of the main ways that competitiveness is addressed at a European level is through ensuring that the EU has well-functioning, liberalised energy markets. This is seen as the most effective means to deliver energy to consumers at lowest cost. This was emphasised at last week's Council of Energy Ministers at which the Energy Union Package was discussed in detail. The Irish oil sector is completely privatised, liberalised and deregulated and there is free entry to the market. It is government policy to promote competition and consumer choice.
Oil is primarily consumed in two sectors of the economy - in transport and heating. The amount of oil used in the electricity sector is negligible at less than 1%. In terms of gasoline and diesel prices at the pump and home heating prices, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (under the aegis of the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation) has a role in ensuring that the market is functioning correctly and that consumers are not being disadvantaged. Previous investigations and surveys, available at www.ccpc.ie, into oil prices, including home heating oil, indicates that the price paid by consumers is largely determined by taxation levels, the internationally traded price of crude oil and the consequent price at which refined product is traded in Europe, along with the level of competition in the retail market.
The European Commission maintains a Statistics and Market Observatory, which presents consumer prices and net prices of petroleum products in EU Member States (known as the Oil Bulletin) on a weekly basis. The Oil Bulletin is designed to improve the transparency of oil prices and to strengthen the internal market. The relevant link is: http://ec.europa.eu/energy/observatory/oil/bulletin_en.htm.
290. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the extent to which oil, gas or other exploration licences issued in the past 15 years have been activated or are in process thereof; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11051/15]
View answer292. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the extent of any gold, silver, oil, gas or other minerals discovered on-shore or off-shore on foot of licences offered or issued over the past ten years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11053/15]
View answer293. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the uptake of exploration licences in each year from 2007 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11054/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 290, 292 and 293 together.
Details of all authorisations granted by the Department are published in the six monthly reports to the Oireachtas, which I am obliged to lay before the Houses under the Minerals Development Acts, 1940 to 1999 and the Petroleum and Other Minerals Development Act, 1960, respectively. The last such reports were in respect of the period ending 31 December, 2014. These details and reports are also available on my Department’s website at www.dcenr.gov.ie. All authorisations for oil and gas exploration issued by my Department are granted subject to the carrying out of a work programme agreed with the Department. The delivery of such work programmes is monitored by the Department during the course of the authorisation.
While there have been no commercial discoveries of oil or gas within the territory of the State in the last fifteen years there has been a positive upswing in the level of petroleum exploration activity in recent years, in particular acquisition of new seismic data. We need to see this translate into an increased level of exploration drilling in the coming years, if Ireland’s true petroleum potential is to be realised.
In a similar manner, while the number of active minerals prospecting licences indicate the buoyant state of mineral exploration in Ireland, no new commercially viable deposits of minerals have been discovered in the last fifteen years, although there have been some encouraging results, particularly in Counties Limerick and Clare. It is too early to determine however whether these results will lead to identification of commercially viable deposits.
291. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the extent to which he is committed to the retention of the post office network and delivery service throughout the country, including next day deliveries and the provision of additional services suitable for administration through An Post, thereby enhancing future viability of the service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11052/15]
View answer294. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the extent to which any examination has been done to ascertain the full extent to which the post office system may be adapted using modern technology to provide a complimentary range of services to those provided through An Post throughout the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11056/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 291 and 294 together.
It is Government policy that An Post remains a strong and viable company, in a position to provide a high quality postal service and maintain a nationwide network of customer focused post offices in the community.
Under the Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Act 2011, An Post is statutorily required, as the designated universal service provider, to provide a universal postal service and the essential element of this obligation is the collection and delivery of mail to every address in the State on every working day.
The post office network faces significant challenges given the impact of the economic downturn over the last few years, changes in technology and customer retail preferences. However, post offices, having being fully computerised some years ago, also stand well positioned to become the front office provider of choice for Government and the financial services sector for both electronic transactions as well as the more traditional over the counter transactions.
The recently established Post Office Network Business Development Group is examining the potential from existing and new Government and commercial business that could be transacted through the post office network and identifying the new business opportunities for the post office network, taking account of international experience.
The Group’s work will be of strategic importance to the future of the post office network. I expect to receive the interim and final reports of the Group later this year.
