Emissions from ESB power plants fall into two broad categories, namely, greenhouse gases such as CO 2 (carbon dioxide), and acidification pollutants such as sulphur dioxide (SO 2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx).
Greenhouse gases are dealt with under the Kyoto Protocol. The European Community as a whole has agreed to reduce emissions of six main greenhouse gases by 8 per cent below 1990 levels in the period 2008 to 2012. Within this overall EU reduction target, Ireland's target is to limit the increase in emissions of greenhouse gases to 13 per cent above 1990 levels in the same period. The Kyoto obligations as they relate to electricity refer primarily to emissions of carbon dioxide (CO 2) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6).
My Department and the Department of the Environment and Local Government jointly commissioned a report on The Limitation and Reduction of CO 2 and other Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Ireland in the course of developing a national strategy to meet Ireland's target under the Kyoto protocol. The report was published in June and consultations with all interested parties were invited. A one day discussion forum on the development of a national greenhouse gas abatement strategy for Government approval is now progressing.