Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 November 2021
125. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of skilled retrofitting workers that will be needed to deliver on retrofitting targets; the number of each category of tradesperson or specifically qualified retrofitting construction workers in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55483/21]
View answerThe Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) is the independent body tasked with advising the Government on the current and future skills needs of the Irish economy. Its Secretariat is based in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
As part of its 2021 work programme, the EGFSN undertook a study on the nature and quantity of skills required between now and 2030 to deliver on some of the key enabling measures in the Climate Action Plan.
These are the targeting of 5GW of offshore renewable wind energy, an increase in onshore wind energy of up to 8.2GW, and the generation of up to 1.5GW of grid scale solar energy; the energy efficient retrofit of 500,000 residential homes to a minimum B2 Building Energy Rating; and the target of having 840,000 electric cars, as well as 95,000 commercial vehicles, on Irish roads.
The resulting study, Skills for Zero Carbon: The Demand for Renewable Energy, Residential Retrofit and Electric Vehicle Deployment Skills to 2030, will be published by the EGFSN shortly. It will contain the details requested by the deputy in respect of the retrofit workforce that is required over the next decade.
This study is referenced in the newly published Climate Action Plan for 2022, and its findings will inform the implementation of that plan.
