Results 23,421-23,440 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Environmental Policy (15 Dec 2022)

Eamon Ryan: Emissions from the electricity between 2005 and 2021 have decreased by 36%. There was more than a six-fold increase in the share of renewable electricity generation between 2005 and 2020 – from 7% to 42%. In 2021 renewables accounted for 34.7% of electricity generated due to low wind conditions resulting in less generation. The Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) has helped to...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Action Plan (15 Dec 2022)

Eamon Ryan: The Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021 significantly strengthened the legally binding framework for climate governance in Ireland. The Act requires the delivery of successive Climate Action Plans and Long-term Climate Strategies, supported by a system of carbon budgeting and sectoral emission ceilings. The introduction and adoption of these budgets and ceilings in...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (15 Dec 2022)

Eamon Ryan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 101 and 112 together. Notwithstanding the range of benefits data centres bring to the Irish economy, as large energy users they present considerable challenges to the future planning and operation of the country’s power system. The Government’s decision on Sectoral Emissions Ceilings means we must reduce electricity emissions to approximately...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Environmental Policy (15 Dec 2022)

Eamon Ryan: A key strategy in Ireland’s Climate Action Plan is to increase the proportion of renewable electricity to up to 80% by 2030, including a target of up to 5 Gigawatts of offshore wind energy. This will not just reduce emissions from electricity, it will allow us to electrify other sectors such as transport and heat and reduce our emissions in these sectors too. Green hydrogen has...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Policy (15 Dec 2022)

Eamon Ryan: The review of the security of energy supply of Ireland’s electricity and gas systems is focused on the period to 2030, but in the context of a sustainable transition to net zero emissions by 2050. It considers potential risks to both our natural gas and electricity supplies and examines a range of measures to mitigate these risks, including the need for additional capacity to import...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Prices (15 Dec 2022)

Eamon Ryan: Government is acutely aware of the impact that the recent increases in global energy prices is having on households. This is why a €2.4 billion package of supports was implemented during 2022, and a package of once off measures worth €2.5 billion included in Budget 2023. The Budget package includes a new Electricity Cost Emergency Benefit Scheme through which €550.47...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Infrastructure (15 Dec 2022)

Eamon Ryan: EirGrid manage the electricity system on a 24/7 basis ensuring that electricity supply is matched to meet the demand at all times of the day. The cold weather this past week has put the power system under pressure – each drop in degree increases electricity demand significantly. The cold weather has also coincided with a period of low wind. EirGrid have a system in place to manage...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Exploration Industry (15 Dec 2022)

Eamon Ryan: The Programme for Government was ratified by the members of the three parties involved in the formation of the current government in June 2020. This programme contained the commitment to end the issuing of new licences for the exploration and extraction of gas on the same basis as the decision taken in 2019 by the previous Government in relation to oil exploration and extraction. As...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Public Sector Staff (15 Dec 2022)

Eamon Ryan: Inland Fisheries Ireland's (IFI) headcount for staff as of 12 December 2022 is 303 (whole time equivalent is 298.32). IFI recruited 49 seasonal staff in 2022 to work in the protection, development and research areas, all seasonal term contracts ceased by 29 November.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (15 Dec 2022)

Eamon Ryan: I note the ESRI’s assessment of the embodied emissions in Irish imports. While Ireland’s climate policy primarily focuses on reducing production-based emissions in line with national greenhouse gas inventories, it also considers the wider impacts of climate policy. The forthcoming Climate Action Plan includes policies which will promote the circular economy, and shape public...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Exploration Industry (15 Dec 2022)

Eamon Ryan: It would not be appropriate for me to comment on the potential of individual authorisations. Under the Government’s policy on Petroleum Exploration and Production, published in August this year, those holding existing authorisations can continue to apply to progress through the standard licensing lifecycle stages towards a natural conclusion, which may include expiry, relinquishment...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (15 Dec 2022)

Eamon Ryan: While full and final emissions data for 2022 is not yet available, recent reports of provisional data from the EPA have indicated that Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions increased by 4.7% in 2021 compared to 2020 and are now 1.1% above 2019 pre-COVID restriction levels. While models for projected emissions are unable to take into account all policies and measures which were committed...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Renewable Energy Generation (15 Dec 2022)

Eamon Ryan: The Maritime Area Planning Act has introduced significant reform to enable the sustainable development of our significant offshore resource. It provides the legal authority for me as the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to assess Maritime Area Consent applications from a set of 8 pre-qualified offshore renewable energy projects, while the new agency, Maritime Area...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Conservation (15 Dec 2022)

Eamon Ryan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 115 and 131 together. The National Retrofit Plan, published in November 2021 sets out the Government's approach to achieving the Climate Action Plan targets of upgrading the equivalent of 500,000 homes to a Building Energy Rating of B2. A key step in implementing the Plan took place in February, when the Government launched a package of supports to make it...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Renewable Energy Generation (15 Dec 2022)

Eamon Ryan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 116 and 133 together. Council Regulation (EU) 2022/1854 of 6 October 2022 on an emergency intervention to address high energy prices seeks to address windfall gains in the energy sector through a cap on market revenues in the electricity sector and a temporary solidarity contribution on profits in the fossil fuel production and refining sectors. This...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Infrastructure (15 Dec 2022)

Eamon Ryan: The Government's position on LNG is set out in the Policy Statement on importing fracked gas which was published in May 2021. The policy statement provides that, pending the outcome of a security of supply review, it would not be appropriate for the development of any LNG terminals in Ireland to be permitted or proceeded with. As set out in the National Energy Security Framework, which was...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: EU Meetings (15 Dec 2022)

Eamon Ryan: The substantive focus of the upcoming Environment Council is a policy debate on the EU Regulation on Nature Restoration. The proposal aims to repair European habitats that are in poor condition, and to bring back nature to all ecosystems, from forest and agricultural land to marine, freshwater and urban ecosystems. Under this proposal, legally binding targets for nature restoration in...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (15 Dec 2022)

Eamon Ryan: The Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021 strengthens the role of Local Authorities for effective climate action. It sets out a statutory requirement for each Local Authority to prepare a Climate Action Plan (LA CAP), within 12 months from when I formally issue a request to the sector to prepare such plans. This request must be made not later than 18 months after the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Conservation (15 Dec 2022)

Eamon Ryan: The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) administer schemes delivering free energy upgrades for eligible homeowners in low-income households who are most at risk of energy poverty. Since 2000, over 145,000 free upgrades have been supported. So far this year over 4,000 homes have received free upgrades under SEAI energy poverty schemes at an average cost of €18,750 per home. ...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Bodies (15 Dec 2022)

Eamon Ryan: District heating is a key pillar of Government policy to promote decarbonisation of the heat sector and contribute to security of supply, and its development is underpinned by the findings of the National Heat Study. My Department established the District Heating Steering Group this year to consider the rollout of district heating in Ireland and the regulatory framework required to...