Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The review of the security of energy supply of Ireland's electricity and natural gas systems is focused on the period to 2030, but in the context of ensuring a sustainable transition up to 2050. The review is considering the risks to both natural gas and electricity supplies and a range of measures required to address these risks. This includes the need for additional capacity of indigenous renewable energy and also the need to import energy, energy storage, fuel diversification and renewable gases such as hydrogen. The review set out a range of options for consideration and demand side response necessary as part of those options. For example, the gas mitigation package includes gas storage, renewable gas, green hydrogen and demand side response. Similarly, the electricity mitigation package includes demand side management and batteries. The consultation document has also highlighted that the most secure energy is the energy that we do not use and therefore, energy efficiency should always form part of our response to energy security.

As part of the review my Department carried out a consultation seeking views from interested parties on policy measures that could be implemented to support Ireland's security of supply framework. The consultation closed on Friday, 28 October and over 400 responses have been received. My Department is now working through these responses carefully. The completion of the review will be a key priority for Government. Insofar as just transition is concerned Climate Action Plan 2021, which will be replicated in the one due to be published next week, sets out a just transition framework to guide our approach to implementing our climate action policies. It is to be a central component of everything we do in this time of change to make sure that it delivers social justice, ecological justice as well as energy security.

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