Results 401-420 of 9,393 for speaker:Alex White

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Forthcoming Energy Council: Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (24 Nov 2015)

Alex White: All countries are working together. It has been my experience at these meetings that there is a high level of co-operation and interest in each other's conditions and circumstances. There is a very good level of debate. One learns a lot at these meetings about what is happening and best practice in other countries. One also learns about the views of other countries as to the advances we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Forthcoming Energy Council: Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (24 Nov 2015)

Alex White: While it is not a specific agenda item on Thursday, it is ever-present because it is an energy policy for the citizens of Europe, not just for the governments. The extent to which the citizens of the EU, including Ireland, feel alienated from energy policy, do not understand why certain decisions are made, disagree with some of the decisions that are made or do not feel they have an...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Forthcoming Energy Council: Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (24 Nov 2015)

Alex White: There are no plans to develop a renewable energy export plan, and they are not the subject of any discussion at these meetings. In respect of the interconnector there is funding for a joint research project between Eirgrid and its French equivalent, RTE. I encouraged that because it is an important potential project and if it is found viable we should bring it forward because...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Forthcoming Energy Council: Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (24 Nov 2015)

Alex White: Yes, absolutely.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Forthcoming Energy Council: Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (24 Nov 2015)

Alex White: Technically, yes. There is also an interconnector with the North of Ireland.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Forthcoming Energy Council: Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (24 Nov 2015)

Alex White: Those are not specifically the riding instructions of the research project as I understand it but the broader context would have to be considered. If there is to be an interconnector between Ireland and France, part of the economics of that and part of the context for assessing the value of having such an interconnector would be the other interconnectors already there, so from that point of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Forthcoming Energy Council: Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (24 Nov 2015)

Alex White: It would be two way, as it would have to be to make sense. A cost-benefit analysis would always consider the alternatives. Part of the assessment would have to be what alternatives there are and how they would serve the same objectives and the cost set against the potential benefits. The money that Eirgrid and RTE have through the CEF is to consider the prospects of an Ireland-France...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Forthcoming Energy Council: Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (24 Nov 2015)

Alex White: Next year might be soon, it is not long under way but the timeframe is the next year or two years. On the question of the economics of renewable energy, I can assist the Deputy and other committee colleagues when I return next week with some background figures and data. Quite a lot of data are available in respect of the success of onshore wind as a cost-effective form of renewable energy....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Forthcoming Energy Council: Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (24 Nov 2015)

Alex White: I never have any difficulty giving the Deputy credit. This Thursday, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, will publish a document, Energy in Ireland, which would be a good backdrop for a discussion next week. It will have much of the information, the data and experience in respect of renewable energy in Ireland and the relative success of different technologies. Ireland...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Forthcoming Energy Council: Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (24 Nov 2015)

Alex White: The Deputy raised the issue in the context of the market redesign. That project is at negotiation stage, so it is under negotiation. I can tell the Deputy that consumers and citizens are at the forefront of those negotiations. The process of consultation begins this Thursday; it will be kicked off by this meeting on Thursday. The Deputy's sentiments that the interests of consumers and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Forthcoming Energy Council: Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (24 Nov 2015)

Alex White: Making things-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Forthcoming Energy Council: Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (24 Nov 2015)

Alex White: Making things retrospective is always problematic legally.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Forthcoming Energy Council: Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (24 Nov 2015)

Alex White: That is okay.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Forthcoming Energy Council: Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (24 Nov 2015)

Alex White: I thank the Acting Chairman for his questions and members for their interesting questions and insights. To respond to Senator Terry Brennan's comments, lighting is an important issue. He gave some good examples with reference to motorways. Adopting a dimming and trimming approach to public lighting is critically important in our engagement with local authorities on the public service...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Forthcoming Energy Council: Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (24 Nov 2015)

Alex White: The Senator did not specify the exact place which he said was like Route 66, but I very much take the point on board. Local authorities have responsibility in this regard. Transport Infrastructure Ireland, formerly the NRA, also has a responsibility in that regard. There are issues related to safety on the roads, with which it must deal. However, the overall push must be and is towards...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Forthcoming Energy Council: Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (24 Nov 2015)

Alex White: That technology is changing.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Forthcoming Energy Council: Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (24 Nov 2015)

Alex White: That technology is improving. It will all take time. Everything in the area we are discussing takes time. We need to consider a timeframe not of just a few months, like the political cycle teaches us. We need to consider timeframes of five, ten or 15 years. We talk about offshore wind and other new technologies. We probably will not be here to see that, but we need to lay the groundwork...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Forthcoming Energy Council: Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (24 Nov 2015)

Alex White: There are guidelines in place. Admittedly, they are in place since 2006 and require updating. There has been a discussion between the two Departments on what change would be appropriate. I have made it clear that we can and should change the guidelines to deal with issues such as noise and shadow flicker. It is hard to justify a set-back distance that is not linked to the issues of noise...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Forthcoming Energy Council: Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (24 Nov 2015)

Alex White: I hope it will be decided soon.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Local Authority Functions (24 Nov 2015)

Alex White: I understand that proposals, prospective funding and project time lines for a Salmon Life Centre in Ballina are a matter for Mayo County Council.