Results 361-380 of 25,713 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Conservation (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Warmer Homes Scheme aims to improve the energy efficiency and warmth of homes owned by people in energy poverty by providing fully-funded retrofits. The scheme is operated by the SEAI on behalf of my Department and is funded through carbon tax receipts and the European Regional Development Fund. Last year saw a record spend of almost €230 million under the scheme. This resulted...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Policy (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: District heating can play a key role in improving energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Government policy is supportive of the expansion of district heating to contribute to diversification of fuel supply for heat and to decarbonise the heat sector. The establishment of the District Heating Steering Group was a critical step on our journey towards developing district...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Policy (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Having received Government approval, on 4 July last year, my Department published a set of guiding principles for the development of a policy on private wires. Alongside the guiding principles, a summary report of the Private Wires Public Consultation and an appendix setting out all responses received was also published. The principles, while not making immediate changes, are to guide any...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Electricity Generation (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government commits to taking decisive action to radically reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and to achieve a 51% reduction in emissions from 2018 to 2030, and to achieving net-zero emissions no later than 2050. In addition, the Government set out a vision in the 'Energy Security in Ireland to 2030' strategy to move away from fossil fuels to an electricity led energy...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Conservation (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Ireland has one of the most ambitious home retrofit targets in the world. The National Retrofit Plan sets out how these targets will be met, including an €8 billion financial allocation in the period to 2030. A range of measures has been introduced under the Retrofit Plan in recent years to support the achievement of our targets. These include: • enhanced SEAI grant schemes...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Telecommunications Infrastructure (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Following a meeting between my colleague Minister O’Donovan and telecoms operators, officials in my Department have been working with industry to progress a plan to improve network resilience to future severe weather events in the near term. This plan will also ensure that future restoration efforts take on board the lessons learned following Storm Éowyn. The development of this...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Policy (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: District heating is a proven technology that can play a key role in improving energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the heat sector. Government policy recognises the contribution that district heating can make to Ireland’s climate and energy goals. This is underpinned by the findings of the SEAI's 2022 National Heat Study, which highlighted significant potential...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Telecommunications Infrastructure (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government 2025 reaffirms our commitment to investing in a modern telecommunications network. The Programme sets a target for the completion of a high-speed fibre network to provide broadband access to 1.1 million people, including homes, farms, and businesses nationwide, by the end of 2026. To date, the total amount invested by the State in the NBP programme since 2020,...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Infrastructure (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: ESB Networks, a subsidiary of the ESB, as Transmission Asset Owner is responsible for managing and delivering projects on the transmission network, including the detailed design, material procurement, construction and maintenance. EirGrid, as Transmission System Operator, is responsible for planning the development and operation of the transmission system. ESB Networks is also the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Official Engagements (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I can confirm that I have had the following engagements with EirGrid since my appointment. I met with EirGrid Chief Executive Officer, Cathal Marley and Chief Infrastructure Officer, Michael Mahon on Thursday 3 April 2025. I also met with the Chair of the Eirgrid Board, Brendan Tuohy, Interim Chief Executive Officer (at that time) Martin Corrigan and Chief Infrastructure Officer, Michael...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Business Supports (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Business Energy Upgrades Scheme (BEUS) grant support, administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), provides rapid grant aid options for SMEs to upgrade their buildings. It was opened for applications on 6 November 2024 (the associated webpages: www.seai.ie/grants/business-grants/rapid-approval ) and the application portal went live on the same day, with the official...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Policy (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: In line with CAP Action EL/2416, the Electricity Storage Policy Framework for Ireland was published by my Department in July 2024. Chapter four of the Policy Framework provides an overview of the existing safety and regulatory framework in place for grid scale electricity storage systems, including battery electricity storage systems in the European and Irish contexts. The chapter also...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Data Centres (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government sets out our commitment to achieving 80% of electricity generation from renewable sources by 2030. It also recognises the challenges regarding our data centre sector and commits to enhancing data centres use of renewable energy sources, energy efficient technology and effective solutions, such as waste heat capture to reduce their carbon footprint, and that waste...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Wind Energy Generation (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce was established in 2022 to deliver a system-wide plan across Government to accelerate and drive delivery of Ireland’s offshore wind targets and capture the wider and longer term economic and business opportunities associated with the development of offshore renewables. I was pleased to attend the recent Taskforce meeting on the 3rd of April. The...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Wind Energy Generation (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Public Service Obligation (PSO) levy supports the development of renewable electricity including wind, solar, and other renewable technology generation projects and is a key enabler to decarbonising our electricity system over the longer term in line with the Climate Action Plan and the Programme for Government. The PSO levy is applied to all electricity customers and is collected...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Change Policy (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Climate Actions Work is a national programme of engagement on climate action. It enables people and communities across Ireland to be part of the conversation about climate change. The Climate Actions Work project includes: an expanded programme of engagement activities and events; a training programme on communications and engagement; funding and resources for community groups to support...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Wind Energy Generation (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Climate Action Plan 2024 commits to achieving at least 5 gigawatts of installed offshore wind capacity by 2030. The Government's Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce is driving delivery of this objective. Our first offshore wind auction (ORESS 1) took place in 2023 and awarded supports to four projects. Two further projects, which were unsuccessful in the ORESS 1 auction, are pursuing a...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Recycling Policy (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) operates on a return-to-retail model, where consumers bring empty containers back to a retailer to recoup their deposit. There are currently over 3,200 retail return points, about 90% of which are Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs), providing a high level of coverage across the country. To date, 1.2 billion containers have been returned through retail collection...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Action Plan (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 42, 44, 50 and 57 together. After significant work by my Department, working across Government, CAP25 was originally submitted for Government approval in December 2024. However, it's formal approval was delayed due to the election and subsequent Government formation process. As CAP25 is an all-of Government plan, these exceptional circumstances required the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Policy (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: In November 2023, the previous Government approved and published the ‘Energy Security in Ireland to 2030’ report which concludes that Ireland’s future energy will be secure by moving from a fossil fuel-based energy system to an electricity-led system, maximising our renewable energy potential, flexibility and being integrated into Europe’s energy systems. With...