Professor Hannah Daly:

I can briefly speak to cement. It was not a topic that we focused heavily on. The Cathaoirleach will be aware that there are options for material substitution like using wood fly ash or other materials instead of the carbon-intensive cement within construction, as well as retrofitting older buildings rather than increasing new builds to reduce the requirement for cement and utilising efficiency measures like rightsizing the amount of cement within builds. We looked at those demand reduction measures, as well as a host of potential technological measures. Carbon capture and storage was mentioned and is being examined in the new climate action plan. That and a number of emerging new technologies to make cement with fewer greenhouse gas emissions are coming to the fore.

One of the rapidly emerging spaces I have heard about recently is a way of making cement through electrolysis, for example using green electricity. We did not look at the policy measures necessary to achieve that in the report but we have spoken about different reports like the Irish Green Building Council report. One of the focuses could be on keeping an eye on these new technological solutions. Inevitably these new technologies will cost more in making cement than the existing technology, which is a very long established and entrenched, long-standing capital investment. Certainly State investment and incentives are necessary. This is not something like EVs, where a slight tweak in grants will motivate a big shift in technology. It will have to be a deeper State involvement with the industry, piloting new types of plants, procurement or mandating certain types of low-carbon cements to come by certain dates.