Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 March 2019
428. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the way in which the €22 billion of the €116 billion investment package within Project Ireland 2040 will go towards the objective of transitioning to a low carbon and climate resilient society; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10702/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy is aware, I am currently preparing an All of Government Climate Plan which will set out the actions which must be taken to make Ireland a leader in responding to climate change. I am working with colleagues across Government to develop new initiatives across electricity, transport and heat, as well as a range of other sectors. The All of Government Plan will build on the previous actions and framework put in place by both the National Mitigation Plan and the National Development Plan (NDP), and is to be completed by the end of March this year.
National Strategic Outcome 8 of the NDP sets out the key investments which will be made in the transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient society. The following commitments are included for implementation by this Department over the lifetime of the NDP:
- energy efficiency upgrades of 45,000 homes per annum from 2021 and providing support for a major roll-out of heat pump technologies;
- delivering energy upgrades to BER 'B' level in all public buildings and a minimum of one third of commercial buildings;
- implementing the new renewable electricity support scheme to deliver an additional 3,000-4,500 MW of renewable energy, with the initial focus on shovel ready projects which could contribute to meeting our 2020 targets;
- the roll-out of the Support Scheme for Renewable Heat (SSRH) and national smart metering programme;
- transitioning the Moneypoint plant away from coal by the middle of the next decade;
- putting in place charging infrastructure to support growth to at least 500,000 electric vehicles on the road by 2030; and
- a Climate Action Fund of €500m to leverage investment by public and private bodies in climate action measures that contribute to the achievement of Ireland’s climate and energy targets.
