Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 16:

In page 14, between lines 12 and 13, to insert the following: “(f) in section 39A, by the substitution of the following subsection for subsection (5):

“(5) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (4) of this section, the Commission may—

(a) attach to a consent given under subsection (1) of this section for the construction by a person of a pipeline, a condition requiring to be observed, as regards the pipeline, specific codes and standards of safety and efficiency regarding the construction of pipelines, disconnections decommissioning or repurposing, and

(b) by regulations, set out the procedures in relation to the giving of a consent under subsection (1) of this section.”.”.

Amendment No. 16 proposes that as well as during construction, health and safety measures should be accounted for during connection, decommissioning or repurposing of gas network. It emphasises the point that under construction and in use are not the only two states in which pipes can exist. They can also be disconnected, decommissioned or repurposed, and it is important that safety is accounted for in these states as well. This is likely to become more of an issue in the time ahead with reductions in use in line with our greenhouse gas emissions targets.

Amendment No. 17 mandates holders of consent, when constructing pipelines, to ensure that all reasonable measures are taken to reduce gas demand and greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021.

Amendment No. 18 gives power to the CRU to refuse consent for the construction of any new distribution or transmission pipeline in a particular geographical area in order to be consistent with the carbon budget programme and the sectoral emissions ceilings. It is important to emphasise that we need a gas demand reduction strategy as well as an emissions reduction strategy.