Written Answers Nos. 141-155
141. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the progress that is being made in reducing the processing times and commencement of works under the free energy upgrades, warmer homes scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18744/22]
View answerThe Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme delivers free energy upgrades for eligible homeowners in low-income households who are most at risk of energy poverty. It is administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). Since the start of the scheme in 2000, over 145,000 free upgrades have been supported. In 2021, the average cost of the energy efficiency measures provided per household had increased significantly to €17,100.There are currently just over 6,900 homes awaiting works on the Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme work programme. This includes homes that are: - Awaiting the initial survey of their home;
- Have completed an initial home survey and are awaiting allocation to a contractor;
- Have been allocated to a contractor for works; or,
- Currently undergoing works.Activity under the Scheme, and the associated expenditure, were significantly impacted in both 2020 and 2021 by the COVID pandemic. SEAI data indicates that for homes completed in 2021, the average cycle time from application to completion was approximately 26 months. While this delay was largely driven by Covid related issues, the deeper measures being provided under the Scheme since 2018, also involve more substantive works. In order to reduce this timeline to completion, the following key actions are being taken:
- The budget, at €109 million, is nearly three times the 2021 outturn (€38 million) and funding has also been sought through the European Regional Development Fund;
- The number of homes retrofitted under the scheme are due to increase from 177 per month in 2021 to 400 per month in 2022, this is a top priority in SEAI's work programme;
- SEAI has allocated additional staff for the Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme;
- SEAI is working to increase contractor output through active contract engagement and management.Works under the Scheme recommenced in line with activity in the residential construction sector and activity did ramp up again towards the end of last year. Based on the foregoing, SEAI target clearing the homes currently on the waiting list in approximately 18 months.
143. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will report on the progress that he has made implementing the deposit return scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18487/22]
View answerThe roadmap for the introduction of a Deposit Return Scheme for plastic bottles and aluminium cans was outlined in the Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy, published in September 2020. In November last year, I signed the Separate Collection (Deposit Return Scheme) Regulations 2021, providing the legal framework for the scheme, in particular the terms under which a scheme operator may be approved. The regulations also set out the obligations that will fall to producers, retailers and return point operators under the scheme, which will be launched later this year.The introduction of a Deposit Return Scheme will assist in reducing single use plastics, thus helping Ireland meet EU targets while promoting a wider circular economy. Materials to be included in the scheme will be those for which Ireland faces immediate, challenging EU recycling and separate collection targets. The scheme will therefore focus on plastic bottles and aluminium beverage cans. Recycling rates in Ireland for glass are significantly above current EU targets.The Regulations provide that other materials may be considered for inclusion in the Deposit Return Scheme when the scheme is fully established.
144. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if analysis of the potential benefits of a national waste collection service has been carried out in advance of commencing the drafting of the new national waste strategy management plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18775/22]
View answerLocal authorities are responsible for municipal waste collection and waste management planning within their functional areas. The obligations on local authorities in relation to collecting household waste are set out in section 33 of the Waste Management Act 1996, as amended. In summary, it provides that each local authority shall collect, or arrange for the collection of, household waste within its functional area. The obligation to collect or arrange for the collection of household waste shall not apply if: - an adequate waste collection service is available in the local authority's functional area,
-the estimated costs of the collection of the waste would, in the opinion of the local authority, be unreasonably high, or
- the local authority is satisfied that adequate arrangements for the disposal of the waste concerned can reasonably be made by the holder of the waste.
It is open to any local authority to re-enter the waste collection market as direct service providers if they so choose, either alongside existing permitted service providers or subject to making arrangements to replace those providers.
Under section 60(3) of the Waste Management Act 1996 I am, as Minister, precluded from exercising any power or control in relation to the performance by a local authority, in particular circumstances, of a statutory function vested in it.
146. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will report on his work to date exploring the potential for Ireland in developing offshore wind power particularly floating wind power; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18852/22]
View answerThe Climate Action Plan 2021 includes a suite of actions to realise the full potential of Ireland’s offshore renewable energy resources. The Programme for Government commits to the achievement of 5GW of installed offshore wind capacity by 2030 and a further commitment to develop a longer-term plan to harness the estimated potential of at least 30GW of offshore floating wind power in our Atlantic waters. The 5GW target will be primarily met through development of fixed bottom offshore wind turbines in Ireland’s eastern and southern coastal regions. Subsequent cost-effective deployment of renewables in deeper waters off the west coast, to take advantage of greater wind resources, should be increasingly feasible through future advances in floating turbine technology. Work on a revised Offshore Renewable Energy Development Plan (OREDP II) has been initiated by my Department. This will provide an evidence base for the identification of the most suitable areas for the sustainable development of fixed and floating wind, wave, and tidal technologies, while also considering other maritime activities and marine biodiversity. The OREDP II will set out the pathway for the development of offshore renewable energy, including floating offshore wind, beyond 2030.The first batch of projects to progress through the new marine consenting process will be fixed bottom wind turbines on the east coast. My Department recently held a consultation on the criteria to use to select the second batch of projects required to meet our 5GW target. This includes a proposal for an Innovation Category which is of particular relevance to developers of floating offshore wind energy projects. Responses are currently being assessed, with a decision on the Phase 2 criteria to be taken later this year.
147. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the status of the electricity costs emergency benefit scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18739/22]
View answerThe Electricity Costs (Domestic Electricity Accounts) Emergency Measures Act 2022 (No. 1 of 2022), established a scheme for the making in 2022, of a once-off Electricity Costs Emergency Benefit Payment to each domestic electricity account, having regard to the exceptional rise in energy prices. This scheme is in addition to the Government’s ongoing measures to address energy poverty and the protection of vulnerable customers, and is in addition to the measures introduced in the Budget. The Act was signed into law on 4 March, paving the way for a payment of €176.22 (€200 inclusive of VAT) to be credited to all domestic electricity accounts. This is almost a doubling of what was originally envisaged, in recognition of pressures on households due to increases in the cost of living. The credit will appear on electricity bills as they are issued in April and May.
The scheme applies to all domestic accounts and includes pre-pay customers. The scheme is operated by the Distribution System Operator (ESB Networks) and electricity suppliers with oversight by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities.
The credit will be applied automatically and there is no need to apply for it.
The Deputy may also wish to note that regular information updates, including frequently asked questions, are being made available on gov.ie. at: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/4ae14-electricity-costs-emergency-benefit-scheme/.
148. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications his views on reports that planning delays have hindered the building of offshore renewable energy in the State; if he will examine the possibility of establishing a new public body that can drive State investment in offshore wind projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18826/22]
View answerThe Maritime Area Planning (MAP) Act 2021 has delivered the legislative basis to enable regulation of Ireland’s maritime area outside the 12 nautical mile coastal zone for the first time. This was an important achievement and provides certainty for offshore wind energy projects, which involve substantial levels of up-front investment. The Act provides for the establishment of the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA), led by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and expected to be established in Q1 2023. The legislation provides, on an interim basis, the legal authority for the Minister of the Environment, Climate and Communications, to assess Maritime Area Consent (MAC) applications from offshore renewable energy developers who meet defined assessment criteria. I recently announced the launch of this application window, which will open on 25 April for an 8-week period. The first MACs are expected to be granted in the second half of 2022. The process will assess applicants in key areas, including financial and technical competency, to ensure that only the most viable offshore projects can apply for permission from An Bord Pleanála. Applications to An Bord Pleanála will include full environmental assessment and public participation. This approach ensures that immediate progress can be made in progressing offshore wind energy, while MARA is being established. A cross-departmental Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce is being established by my Department, to ensure alignment of activities in progress across Government, to deliver on the ambitions for offshore wind energy. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment will be invited to participate along with relevant agencies to ensure the longer term economic and business opportunities associated with the development of offshore renewables are captured.
149. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he is satisfied that the carbon budgets satisfy the principle of climate justice. [18795/22]
View answerThe Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021 establishes our climate objectives in law and will underpin national climate action in the medium and long-term. Under the Act, the Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC) submitted their first carbon budget programme in October 2021. The programme establishes a pathway to achieving our legally binding climate objectives – it will deliver on our commitment to a 51% reduction in our carbon emissions by 2030 and it will set us on the way to net zero no later than 2050. Last December I initiated the process for the adoption of the proposed Carbon Budgets. The motion being considered this week in both Houses of the Oireachtas is the final step in this adoption process, but only the beginning of the implementation challenge.
I believe that the carbon budgets satisfy the principle of climate justice. They are aligned with Ireland’s obligations under the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement, and these agreements are themselves rooted in the principles of climate justice on a global scale. The CCAC, in line with the 2021 Climate Act, prepared the budgets having regard to climate justice. Their analysis is laid out in the Carbon Budget Technical Report, published last October. At a national level, appropriately designed climate policies, measures and actions have huge potential to open up new employment and enterprise opportunities, including targeted supports to help particularly impacted groups, regions and communities to adapt to the new economy, as committed to the Climate Action Plan 2021. While the costs of climate action will be more acutely by some people, groups and sectors, this Government has shown itself to be fully committed to protecting those most vulnerable and to ensuring a just transition through interventions such as the progressive redistribution of carbon tax receipts; one hundred per cent funding of energy efficiency interventions for poorer households; and implementing a Just Transition Plan for the Midlands to address the end of peat harvesting for energy generation.
150. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications his plans to ensure the universal roll-out of mobile telephone and broadband services throughout the State and to eliminate the blackspots for service particularly in mountain areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18763/22]
View answerMobile coverage obligations are set out in licences granted by the independent regulator, ComReg, to mobile operators. ComReg advises that the current minimum coverage obligations in those licences are being considerably exceeded by all operators. Capital investment by telecommunications operators over the last 5 years was in the order of €3.3 billion for both fixed and mobile services. This has significantly enhanced the availability of services, both voice and data, throughout Ireland, including in rural areas.
ComReg is currently in the process of running another Multi-band Spectrum Award to assign rights of use in four spectrum bands. The award comprises 470 MHz of spectrum and represents a 46% increase in the harmonised spectrum assigned for the provision of wireless broadband services in Ireland. This will significantly enable the market to provide improved services to meet increasing consumer demand for mobile data and new services.
To assist consumers to choose the network provider that best meets their needs, ComReg has developed a national outdoor coverage map (available at this link). This map provides consumers with very clear information on where operators have good 2G, 3G and 4G coverage.
Since 2016, the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce has been a driving force for improving access to telecommunications services nationwide. It has completed over 70 targeted actions to alleviate connectivity barriers, and continues to tackle issues impeding the rollout of mobile and fixed connectivity. The reconvened Taskforce is due to meet later this month to agree a new work programme focused on ensuring access to high quality telecommunications connectivity across Ireland to support social and economic development.
At the end of 2021, total broadband subscriptions stood at 1.93m subscriptions, 87% of which had speeds equal to or greater than 30Mbps. The National Broadband Plan will provide a high speed and future proofed broadband network within the Intervention Area which covers 1.1 million people living and working in over 544,000 premises, including almost 100,000 businesses and farms along with 695 schools. The NBP network will offer users a high speed broadband service with a minimum download speed of 500Mbps from the outset. A number of commercial operators have also announced further investment plans in high-speed broadband. Eir has said it will roll out fibre to 1.9 million premises by the end of 2026, while SIRO has announced a €620 million upgrade and expansion of its fibre to the home network to reach 770,000 homes and business. Virgin Media has announced a €200 million investment to upgrade their network, delivering speeds of 10Gbps for 1 million premises over the next three years. Many other network operators and telecom service providers across the State also continue to invest in their networks.
151. Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the position regarding the development of grid interconnection in the south-east region in order to support the development of offshore renewables; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18770/22]
View answerThe 500MW East West Interconnector (EWIC) between North Dublin and Wales is the only existing subsea electricity transmission cable connecting Ireland with another European wholesale electricity market. In addition to EWIC, there are two further proposed interconnectors, which are the 500MW Greenlink Interconnector between Wexford and South Wales, and the 700MW Celtic Interconnector between East Cork and Brittany, France. Both projects are at an advanced stage of pre-construction development, with the projects' promoters anticipating that Greenlink will be completed by 2024/25, and Celtic by 2026/27. Development of the Celtic and Greenlink interconnectors is anticipated to have a positive impact on Irish electricity customers in terms of enhancing our energy security of supply and increasing wholesale market competition. These projects should also facilitate the integration of higher volumes of renewable energy, including offshore wind, via the export of surplus renewables to neighbouring countries which would otherwise be curtailed. This should have a particularly beneficial impact on renewables development in the South East region, where both new interconnector projects will connect with Ireland’s onshore electricity transmission system.
The Climate Action Plan 2021 requires my Department to update Ireland's existing interconnector policy by the end of 2022, in order to reflect Ireland’s increased climate and energy ambition, and to provide for increased levels of future interconnection with neighbouring countries.
152. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the reason for the low investment to date in offshore wind energy in the State; the steps that he will take to ensure targets for offshore renewable are met given recent comments by industry representatives regarding planning delays; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18782/22]
View answerMy Department has made significant recent progress in developing a robust regulatory regime for offshore renewable energy. The Maritime Area Planning (MAP) Act 2021 was a significant milestone to enable development of this sector, providing certainty for offshore wind energy projects, which involve substantial levels of up-front investment. Ahead of the establishment of the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA) in early 2023, the legislation provides, on an interim basis, the legal authority for the Minister of the Environment, Climate and Communications, to assess Maritime Area Consent (MAC) applications from a set of pre-qualified offshore renewable energy developers. I recently announced the launch of this application window, which will open on 25 April for an 8-week period. The first MACs are expected to be issued in the second half of 2022. The process will assess applicants in key areas, including financial and technical competency. This will ensure that only the most viable offshore projects can apply for permission from An Bord Pleanála. This approach ensures that immediate progress can be made in progressing offshore wind energy, while MARA is being established and takes over MAC responsibility from early 2023. The levelised cost of energy produced by offshore wind has fallen steadily over the past decade, driven in part by technological advances and competitive auction pressures, but also by scale increases in both offshore turbines and the quantity of turbines.A cross-Departmental Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce is being established to drive delivery and capture wider and longer term economic and business opportunities associated with the development of offshore renewables in Ireland. This will include the identification of supporting infrastructure development and supply chain opportunities as Ireland’s offshore wind industry is developed.
154. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the actions his Department is taking to support the rural post office network and the wider post office network; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18300/22]
View answerAn Post is a commercial State body with a mandate to act commercially and it is longstanding Government policy that postal services will not be directly subsidised by the taxpayer. An Post has statutory responsibility for the State’s postal service and the post office network. Decisions relating to the network, including those in relation to the size, distribution and future of the network are operational matters for the Board and management of the company. The Government is committed to a sustainable An Post and post office network as a key component of the economic and social infrastructure throughout Ireland.
My Department continues to engage with the company, with other Government department and agencies and with key stakeholders in support of this Programme for Government commitment.
155. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications his views on Ireland’s capacity to meet its targets for wind and renewable energy; if he will report on his engagement with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in respect of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18792/22]
View answerThe Climate Action Plan 2021 includes a suite of actions to realise the full potential of Ireland’s onshore and offshore renewable energy resources including a commitment to the achievement of up to 8GW of installed onshore wind, up to 2.5GW of solar, and 5GW of installed offshore wind capacity by 2030. Additionally, there is a further commitment to develop a longer-term plan to harness the estimated potential of at least 30GW of offshore floating wind power in our Atlantic waters. The Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) is one of the major Government policies to help deliver on the ambition in the Climate Action Plan 2021 of up to 80% renewable electricity by 2030. Over 1GW of new renewable generation was secured in the first RESS competition, including a number of onshore wind farms, which are due to reach commercial operation before the end of 2023.A significant volume of new renewable generation is expected to be secured in the RESS 2 auction which will take place next month. The Maritime Area Planning (MAP) Act 2021 was developed last year, in close cooperation with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, to provide the legal underpinning to an entirely new marine planning system, which will balance harnessing our huge offshore wind potential with protecting our rich and unique marine environment. Earlier in 2022, my Department carried out a consultation on the proposed assessment criteria for the first batch of Maritime Area Consent (MAC) applications from a set of seven qualified Offshore Renewable Energy projects.
Alongside this, my Department have been drafting the terms and conditions for offshore wind-specific RESS auctions. At least three offshore RESS auctions are currently planned for this decade
. A schedule of future auctions through to 2025 was published in December 2021 (set out below) so that generators can develop their projects with confidence to line up with these regular auctions ensuring a steady supply of projects to meet regional and national targets.
|
Auction Type |
Indicative Auction Volume (GWh) |
Indicative Auction Dates |
Indicative Auction Commercial Operation Dates |
|
Onshore RESS 2 |
1,000-3,500 |
Q2 2022 |
2024 |
|
Offshore RESS 1 |
7,500-10,000 |
Q4 2022 |
2027 |
|
Onshore RESS 3 |
2,000-5,500 |
Q2 2023 |
2025 |
|
Offshore RESS 2 |
15,000-25,000 |
2024-2025 |
2029 |
|
Onshore RESS 4 |
1,000-5,000 |
2024 |
2026 |
In addition, a supportive spatial planning framework for onshore wind and solar electricity generation development is absolutely critical to deliver on these ambitions. My Department is working closely with colleagues in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to deliver on the measures and actions set out in the Climate Action Plan 2021 in this regard. This will include targets for the total renewable (onshore wind and solar) capacity that should be planned for on a national and regional level.
