Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 11 April 2017

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment

Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (Revised)

4:00 pm

Photo of Denis NaughtenDenis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Before I answer, I note in relation to international organisations that I have spoken to a number of members here about my disappointment at COP22 in Marrakesh at the lack of parliamentary representation from Ireland. When the next COP takes place in Bonn later this year, I would like to see representation from the committee in attendance. It would be very useful for members to have the opportunity to meet with colleagues from all over the world. Having members in attendance would allow us to liaise to cover a great many more of the seminars taking place. Some really interesting work is going on there. At a technical and expert level, we have only a limited team of people. While we had some assistance from a number of NGOs that attended, I was disappointed having spoken to other delegations and found that quite a lot of them included parliamentary representation. As such, I urge the committee to ensure there is a strong representation the next time. Climate issues go right across the board. This is not just a matter of the climate agenda and the environment, but of agriculture and transport also. It may be that members from other committees could also be involved in some of the sessions.

To answer the question, the subscriptions are to the International Energy Agency, to which, in fact, I am giving the keynote address in Paris in June on behalf of Ireland, the Energy Charter Secretariat, the International Renewable Energy Agency and the International Energy Forum. The energy research programmes involve the ESRI, the International Energy Research Centre, and the Energy Policy and Statistical Support Unit. Those three bodies are very much involved in providing data and information to me as Minister and to the Department. We have used that data in our negotiations on the ETS and the non-ETS sides at European level. The other major research areas include renewable energy research development and deployment for which €1.2 million has been allocated and the Department's research and development on energy policy to which €500,000 has been allocated. The large bulk of the money, which is €4.75 million, relates to ocean energy development.

The reason we have invested significant money into ocean energy development is that nine tenths of the area under Ireland's jurisdiction is underwater. We have probably one of the best ocean energy resources in the world. Ourselves, Portugal and Scotland are probably at the leading edge in relation to this. Scotland, in particular, is well ahead of us. As Minister, I signed a co-operation agreement with six other northern European states, both EU member states and non-EEA states, to consider how we can co-operate together and share data and research. We have three test facilities in Ireland for ocean energy, including a lab-scale research facility in Cork, a quarter-scale research facility in Galway Bay and a full-scale facility off the coast of Mayo. We also have the added attraction of a grid connection into the Shannon Estuary at Moneypoint and an allocation of funding under the REFIT scheme to take up to 30 GW of ocean energy. I have recently spoken to the NTMA and the European Investment Bank and I note that organisations like that are prepared to fund projects should they come to commercial operation stage off the Irish coast. We are very much open for business in that regard which is why a significant amount of our money is invested in the area.

On the SEAI side, there are a number of other research programmes involving energy and business, an energy efficiency action plan and public sector energy efficiency support. In that regard, I note that one of the initiatives we delivered last year and which has not been highlighted enough was that, working with the Minister, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, we have an agreement that if a State Department, agency or any other body, including a hospital or other unit, saves money in relation to energy, it can hold onto it. For the first time within the public sector, there is an incentive to get into the whole area of energy efficiency. Up to now, that was only really available to the private sector because if a saving was made, for example, in Portlaoise hospital, it was absorbed back into the HSE and, eventually, the Department of Health. Now, the hospital can actually hold onto any money it saves on foot of energy efficiency.

The other funding areas include renewable energy information, sustainable energy zones, of which there is one in Dundalk, EU obligations, better energy financing, the PAYS scheme, the better energy smart grid, electric vehicles, exemplar projects, technological assistance, SME energy efficiency and industrial engagement.

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