Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 April 2023
185. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications plans to introduce a non-profit district heating scheme here; and his plans to transition existing schemes to a non-profit model. [16976/23]
View answer186. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if his Department maintains regulations for the operation of district heating schemes; and, if not, his plans to introduce such regulations. [16977/23]
View answer187. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will report on the programme of pilot feasibility studies in relation to the technical potential of moving communal heating schemes fuelled by natural gas to a renewable source. [16978/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 185 to 187, inclusive, together.
District heating schemes are large-scale systems that are supplied by one or several centralised or decentralised heat sources and serve multiple buildings and multiple customers. Group, or communal, heating schemes are smaller-scale systems that typically supply single buildings or complexes.
The Report of the District Heating Steering Group, established by my Department last year, will be brought to Government shortly. It will contain recommendations for the development of the district heating sector. My role as Minister is to ensure that an appropriate policy and regulatory environment underpins the sector. The Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU) has been assigned responsibility for regulation of district heating networks.
The statutory functions assigned to the CRU in relation to regulation of district heating are contained in SI 350 of 2022, and SI 630 of 2022, which amended SI 426 of 2014. Under SI 350 of 2022, which transposed Renewable Energy Directive 2018/2001/EU, suppliers to district heat networks shall provide information on the energy performance and the share of renewable energy in district heating and cooling systems to final consumers in an easily accessible manner. SI 630 of 2022 contains regulatory provisions in relation to metering and billing for district heating and units of multi-apartment or multipurpose buildings where such units are supplied from a central source. The use of waste heat in district heating is provided for by SI 534 of 2022, under Regulations introduced by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
My Department is currently liaising with the CRU to ensure the development of an appropriate regulatory framework for district heating.
The study of the techno-economic feasibility of moving a gas-fuelled group heating scheme to a renewable energy source is currently being finalised by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. Results are expected in the coming weeks, while implementation of the results will be a matter for the managers of such schemes, which are in private ownership.
