Results 2,261-2,280 of 2,990 for speaker:Ossian Smyth

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Electricity Generation (28 Sep 2023)

Ossian Smyth: The Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, has statutory responsibility to ensure security of supply and has the duty to monitor electricity supplies and to take such measures as it considers necessary to protect the security of supply. It is assisted in its role by EirGrid, the electricity transmission system operator, and my Department. The CRU has a programme of actions under...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Electricity Generation (28 Sep 2023)

Ossian Smyth: The temporary energy generation involves four peaking plants in four different sites around the country. One is coming on line in October, another in spring and the other two next year. I can give the Deputy a more detailed time line outside of this reply. The McCarthy report looks at the reasons for the capacity generation shortfall, that is, the reasons we are in this situation. It...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Electricity Generation (28 Sep 2023)

Ossian Smyth: Temporary energy generation provides an extra 650 MW. It improves the buffer that is available in terms of a shortfall. The Deputy is asking me exactly what the headroom is. I think that really depends on how many plants suffer from unscheduled downtime. I am not sure it is an entirely predictable figure or something that I can give him.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Electricity Generation (28 Sep 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I will come back to the Deputy with a more detailed response after this session, then. In terms of Moneypoint, it is scheduled to be decommissioned. I am not aware of a suggestion which I think I saw in the media this morning that it would transfer to oil. Oil and coal are the most inefficient and most polluting forms of generating electricity that make the most emissions. Our move is to...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Environmental Schemes (28 Sep 2023)

Ossian Smyth: The better energy, warmer homes scheme delivers a range of energy-efficiency measures free of charge to low-income households that are vulnerable to energy poverty and it is a top priority for me. The scheme is very popular. Some 20,000 applications were received over the period from January 2022 to the end of August 2023. The scheme is delivering deeper and more complex upgrades in recent...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Environmental Schemes (28 Sep 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I agree that we need to go further. This history of this scheme is that there was a time not that long ago when it was difficult for the SEAI to get sufficient applications and interest from people and they were advertising it. They do not have to advertise it now. People understand what retrofit is and they want it. There is no cost to this scheme. It is targeted at people in energy...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Environmental Schemes (28 Sep 2023)

Ossian Smyth: From memory, I believe that at least one of these schemes was changed to allow for part works to be done and then to have work done in stages, so people would not be excluded if they had done some of the works and then got more of the works. My understanding is that these schemes are quite comprehensive. The average cost is €24,000 which is quite a deep retrofit. I think in general,...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (28 Sep 2023)

Ossian Smyth: My primary priority is to ensure there is a sufficient pipeline of renewable energy projects to meet our 2030 commitments. As part of our sectoral emissions ceilings, we are to decarbonise our electricity sector by 75% by 2030. This will require a large quantity of onshore and offshore wind and solar power. We have published an auction programme calendar out to 2025, we have continuous...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (28 Sep 2023)

Ossian Smyth: Community energy projects are critical.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (28 Sep 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I do not want to see all of our electricity generation being supplied by large multinationals. I want to see community energy production. With that in mind, a community energy support scheme has been developed and is likely to be published in the coming months. It will ensure that people feel a sense of belonging and ownership as regards the electricity generated in their respective areas....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (28 Sep 2023)

Ossian Smyth: I am not giving a commitment on that, but I will revert to Deputy O'Rourke.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (28 Sep 2023)

Ossian Smyth: Through the first two RESS auctions, my Department provided pathways and supports for communities to participate in renewable energy projects via the application of a community projects category and the requirement of a mandatory community benefit fund for all RESS projects. Furthermore, a community enabling framework for renewable energy projects to provide a package of enabling supports,...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (28 Sep 2023)

Ossian Smyth: There are comprehensive and deep resources available on the SEAI website at the moment. There are now nine different information guides covering different sectors of what is required in order to set up a community energy scheme.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (28 Sep 2023)

Ossian Smyth: The Deputy can table that as another question and I will be very happy to answer that.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (28 Sep 2023)

Ossian Smyth: It justifies a deeper answer than what I can give. There is clearly a commitment in the Department to help and foster community energy and switch from the competitive auction process towards a non-competitive, supported community energy support scheme. I invite the Deputy to promote any energy scheme in her area and to contact the Department for details.