Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 September 2021
196. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the measures being taken to ensure that future infrastructural energy projects are climate resilient; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43426/21]
View answerThe Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act was signed into law on 10 December 2015. The Act comprises a framework designed to achieve a low carbon, climate resilient, and environmentally sustainable economy by 2050. The Act provides for a statutory plan which will guide policy in relation to climate change adaption. This plan, the National Adaptation Framework (NAF), approved by Government, was published in January 2018. Under the NAF, the Climate Action Plan 2019 and as required by section 6 of the Climate Act, a Climate Change Adaptation Plan for the Electricity and Gas Networks Sector was approved by Government in October 2019. This Sectoral Adaptation Plan identifies key climate impacts on the energy sector including flooding, changes in precipitation, temperature rise, sea level rise, changes in the energy content of wind and extreme weather events. The Sectoral Adaptation Plan identified the following key infrastructures types as being particularly vulnerable to the key climate change impacts: electricity generation plants; overhead electricity transmission and distribution lines; underground cables and stations; large wind farms; gas pipelines; and gas substations. The Sectoral Adaptation Plan, which sets outs a range of actions to further identify and adapt to key climate impacts, can be found on the Government of Ireland website, www.gov.ie/en/collection/51df3-sectoral-adaptation-planning/.
