Mr. Mark Griffin:

I have given the committee a sense of the range of measures that are set out in the NDP. Any fair observer would say that the plan is very ambitious in terms of what the Government wants to do on the climate front, particularly in the context of renewable energy. One can see a very significant step change in investment in comparison with previous years. The figures show that we were moving from a period of significant underinvestment, for a range of reasons, in climate action and renewable energy into a space where €1 in €5 to be invested under the NDP will be spent on climate action measures.

In the national mitigation plan, NMP, which preceded the NDP, we carried out a detailed analysis of the contribution towards our carbon reduction targets of various national mitigation measures, where that data was available. The next big step for us is the development of the national energy and climate plan, NECP. That will require us to look at the targets we have agreed at EU level, like the 32% renewable energy target which is EU wide, the 32.5% energy efficiency target, the 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the non-ETS sector target and other sub-targets which do not get as much attention or prominence, such as the target for interconnection. We then need to set out in great detail for the European Commission how the totality of existing measures and measures yet to be identified, designed and put in place will assist in the achievement of the various targets. That work has started and we expect the first consultation on the NECP to go out in the next week or two. The Department is already engaged in some of the preliminary drafting work. We circulated a document to the committee in the last day or two on the role of technical research and modelling, TRAM, in modelling the impact of the various measures. All of that work will be fed into the NECP.

On the issue of peat and its sustainability in the context of electricity generation, the Minister has stated on numerous occasions in the House that, as per the NDP, our intention is to get out of peat no later than 2030. Our intention is to get out of coal-based generation at the Moneypoint plant no later than 2025. In that context, a lot of in-depth analysis is ongoing in the Department and in the ESB, as the plant owner, as to how we can achieve that. The Department is acutely conscious of the fact that saying something like "getting out of peat" needs to be understood in the context of the importance of the plants to the midlands. There is a commitment in the NMP to prepare a report on a just transition and how we manage the situation whereby 4,000 people in the midlands are directly or indirectly supported by Bord na Móna's activities. That work is ongoing. The other important point about Bord na Móna, as an entity, is that it has already made significant progress in decarbonisation of energy generation in the plants for which it is responsible. By 2024, approximately 85% of the electricity generated by Bord na Móna will be renewable, through a combination of co-firing at the three existing plants, two of which are owned by the ESB. There has also been a very significant investment by Bord na Móna in wind energy and the company is moving into the solar energy space as well. Bord na Móna is very conscious of the need to get the transition right, not just from the point of view of environmental sustainability but also to ensure that the company remains a very significant part of the midlands.

On microgeneration, we did some initial survey work on the existing scheme which is run by the ESB, the only supplier in the market to offer a microgeneration scheme. The Minister launched a new scheme in the summer which supports investment in solar PV and battery storage up to a maximum of €3,800, that is, up to €2,800 for the solar PV and €1,000 for battery. We have said that we will review this scheme within a reasonable timeframe to see how it is functioning. The scheme is for self-consumption at the moment but we are giving thought to the potential impact of allowing the spilling of that electricity onto the grid, how that might be managed from an electricity supply perspective and how it might impact the PSO and so on. There is a bit of work to be done on that before we embark on a more extensive microgeneration programme. We are also conscious of the fact that the second renewable energy directive, which was just negotiated at EU level, is very clear that the community has to be at the heart of it. Effecting transformational change of the type that we have to achieve over the next few decades cannot be done without community involvement at all levels. This means that we must involve communities in the decision making process and make sure that communities are more actively engaged. Obviously, from a generation perspective, microgeneration is part of that. We have also written into the RESS provisions a requirement for community involvement in renewable electricity schemes. A developer would be required, for example, to allocate a certain proportion of the scheme for community involvement. There will also be the traditional community contributions that we expect developers to continue to make. We would also expect in the auctions that we will be running over future years that a component will be available for communities to bid into. Obviously, we have to look at how that bidding in is financed and how we can support communities in that way.

In terms of the planning regulations and licensing, work is ongoing, led by Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, on the development of a marine area and foreshore (amendment) Bill. That will provide the licensing and regulatory framework to allow offshore as distinct from foreshore developments to take place. There is already a mechanism in place to consent schemes within the foreshore area.

Reference was made to grid capacity. When one looks at the demand scenarios, even the low-carbon scenario prepared by Eirgrid looking out to 2030, the reality is that we will need to continue to invest in grid, whether that is through reinforcements or additional grid capacity.

We also need to develop our grid connections to the European Union. We have one that is beyond the feasibility study at this stage, the Celtic interconnector between Ireland and France, which is approximately 700 km in length and about €1 billion in cost. That will make a real difference in terms of the connectivity we will require. A private sector company is promoting a Greenlink project, which will introduce a further grid connection between Ireland and Wales. We already have the existing 500 MW grid connection between Ireland and the United Kingdom.

That is a quick run through of the questions the Chairman posed. There is a final point but while I am not sure if I am in a position to answer it; the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, witnesses may be able to do so. It is on the issue of the schools. I do not want to land the SEAI in this-----