Results 26,721-26,740 of 26,791 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Carbon Budget: Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment (2 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I am aware there is an existing application. My comments as Minister for Climate, Environment and Energy could be taken as an interference in planning. I say respectfully that I do not want to do that and I do not want to be in that position. The Government's decision relates to State-owned, State-led and State-operated.

Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Carbon Budget: Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment (2 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Just by way of clarification for the committee, I have been informed the letter from An Coimisiún Pleanála was handed in to Adelaide Road just today - our old office, by the way, in Adelaide Road, not even the existing office. Let me read it.

Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Carbon Budget: Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment (2 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Senator is right. That will have to be considered. The purpose of this hearing and of the significant work of the CCAC over 18 months is to assess that. The CCAC looked at multiple scenarios and did not see a pathway to 51% with existing methodology. We have to look at what else we can do to reach 51% by 2030. I make the point as well that 2031 and 2032 are there and are legally...

Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Carbon Budget: Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment (2 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I will answer the Senator’s last question first in the time I have. Compared with our European colleagues, Ireland’s reporting on climate action plans is annual, which means they are more exact than most of our colleagues across Europe. Accountability is built in, even to the action plan preparations year on year. We are now moving on CAP 26. I wish to respond to the...

Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Carbon Budget: Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment (2 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I will come in on that. A good piece of work has been done on the land use review, although it is not just about the land use review. There are three Department involved in this regard, namely, my Department, the Department of agriculture and the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government. The report was received on 2 May. Although there was some commentary publicly that this...

Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Carbon Budget: Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment (2 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Paris Agreement forms part of our domestic legislation. We are bound to it. Whether the United States is part of it is neither here nor there in the context of our domestic situation. Obviously, we have a bigger job to do as a globe. At COP25 later this year in Brazil, I am sure we will be looking further into the future as to what all countries can do in this regard, particularly...

Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Carbon Budget: Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment (2 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Sure.

Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Carbon Budget: Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment (2 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: First, we have an ongoing piece of work on the private wires Bill. Within the week after next, I expect to bring a policy statement on private wires to Cabinet where I will get approval then to draft legislation. It is critical we operate under the Electricity (Supply) Act 1927. While it is good that our grid is owned, North and South, by the two states, there are opportunities for...

Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Carbon Budget: Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment (2 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The most significant hurdle was planning. To be fair, these are the first offshore wind farms built since Arklow. We only have one offshore wind facility. Five of the projects are a matter of further information from An Bord Pleanála. In fairness, this will be a learning. I met with the ORESS 1 developers myself. They are all committed to proceeding. The new planning Act will be...

Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Carbon Budget: Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment (2 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for his interest and input on the advancement of private wires. We are probably about two weeks away from getting the policy statement agreed and the memo at Cabinet, so I cannot go into too much detail on it right now because it will be subject to Government approval. I am endeavouring to go after the low hanging fruit that is there. Even the legislation I will bring...

Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Carbon Budget: Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment (2 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I met EnergyCloud again yesterday.

Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Carbon Budget: Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment (2 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: EnergyCloud, Clúid, CHI and a couple of housing bodies are involved. They have reached 1,000 homes so far, including 500 in Fingal. It uses the power that would not have been used otherwise to heat water in households. We have significant work to do on EVs but if we look at where we are at right now, we will achieve our 2025 target. We have more than 177,000 EVs on the road at this...

Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Carbon Budget: Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment (2 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: It is a very good point. In my previous job, we resourced the local authorities significantly. Additional resources will always be required. We fund local authorities through the local authority climate action plans as well. Planning enforcement is a matter for each of the local authorities. As I said earlier, I am engaging with the Minister, Deputy Browne, on it because we do not want...

Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Carbon Budget: Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment (2 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I am giving them serious consideration and I am glad the Deputy raised them today. A policy decision was taken in the past, particularly about conversion of fossil fuel boilers, that there would have to be a full conversion to heat pumps. There are other technologies and fuel sources. It was a concern in the past, especially with regard to HVO, that we would not have the required supply of...

Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Carbon Budget: Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment (2 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Deputy is right about the public discourse around this and new technologies. These are big foreign direct investments, FDIs. They use energy and that energy use is managed through grid connection. The large energy user draft policy was published by the CRU. It also went through a full round of public consultation. The best information I have right now is that the final policy...

Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Carbon Budget: Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment (2 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I agree.

Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Carbon Budget: Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment (2 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Deputy makes a fair point. The quality of our housing stock, in both private builds and social housing, as regards heat pump technology has been second to none, particularly in the past ten or 15 years. The solar PV grants have been rolled out and most new homes now have solar PV. The design standards for social housing, as the Deputy will be aware, are a matter for the housing...

Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Carbon Budget: Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment (2 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The offshore renewable electricity support scheme, ORESS 1, is in planning. There are five development sites under it. We have the south coast DMAP as well, which is available and Tonn Nua is basically the second auction. They are part of the pipeline. The national DMAP will be completed by 2027 and it is for our whole maritime area, so there are probably 15 to 25 sites. That is really...

Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Carbon Budget: Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment (2 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Senator Noonan could write a book on that because the two of us were heavily involved in it and it was a great disappointment to us that we were not able to publish that legislation before the most recent election. There are opportunities potentially in the DMAP. The previous Government, and I have to credit Senator Noonan with a lot of the work that was done on this, was able to increase...

Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Carbon Budget: Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment (2 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Even if there is an Act, you have to designate. The Act itself would not necessarily designate the specific sites. It would give the ability but we can do that now anyway. That section of the draft legislation is moving over to my Department. It is the right place for it to be as we have the rest of the marine. The last update I had with regard to the actual legislation was that it will...