Results 7,861-7,880 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Climate Action Plan (15 Dec 2022)

Eamon Ryan: I will turn to the climate action plan, which is due to go to the Government on Tuesday. It will be published. I heard some Deputies say we could have debated the plan this week. I would have preferred to do that but we will have plenty of time. There will be time over the Christmas break for Deputies to be able to read what is quite a long document. I hope to have an extensive debate in...

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

Eamon Ryan: The Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2021 commits Ireland to a legally binding target of a climate neutral economy no later than 2050, and a reduction in emissions of 51% by 2030 compared to 2018 levels. Following the process set out in the Act, the Government last July approved sectoral emissions ceilings for both the first and second carbon budget periods, with the exception...

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

Eamon Ryan: Details of the locations of all monitoring stations currently in operation, along with real-time and historic data from each station, can be found at the website, www.airquality.ie which is operated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The network of stations is part of the national Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Programme which is operated, maintained and monitored by the EPA....

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

Eamon Ryan: The Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2021 commits Ireland to a legally binding target of a climate neutral economy no later than 2050, and a reduction in greenhouse emissions of 51% by 2030 compared to 2018 levels. Following the process set out in the Act, on 28 July the Government approved sectoral emission ceilings for both the first and second carbon budget periods,...

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

Eamon Ryan: The Celtic Interconnector is a 575 km electricity interconnector that will connect the Irish and French electricity grids from East Cork to North-West France, and is being jointly developed by EirGrid and French Transmission System Operator, RTÉ (Réseau de Transport d’Électricité). With a capacity of 700MW, the interconnector will be in a position to provide...

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

Eamon Ryan: My Department provides significant support to the local authority sector in their efforts to tackle illegal dumping. Almost €15m, including €2.8m in 2022, has been provided to the sector under the Anti-Dumping Initiative (ADI) since it was first introduced in 2017 to encourage a collaborative approach between local authorities, community groups and other State Agencies to...

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

Eamon Ryan: Earlier this year, the Government approved a package of supports to make it easier and more affordable for homeowners to undertake home energy upgrades, for warmer, healthier and more comfortable homes, with lower energy bills and lower emissions. The supports announced included the establishment of: -the National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme which offers grant levels of up to 50% of the cost...

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

Eamon Ryan: Hydrogen provides us with an incredible opportunity in Ireland. It provides the potential for long term storage of energy, the opportunity of dispatchable wind and solar power, the potential of chemical feedstocks, the potential of an export market and the opportunity to decarbonise some parts of high temperature processing. Ireland has one of the best offshore renewable energy resources in...

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

Eamon Ryan: The Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) is one of the flagship Government policies to help deliver on the ambition in the Climate Action Plan 2021 of up to 80% renewable electricity by 2030. Seven community projects, comprising five solar and two wind projects, were successful in first RESS auction (RESS1), six of which remain in RESS. These projects are progressing through the...

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

Eamon Ryan: In February, the Government approved a package of supports to make it easier and more affordable for homeowners to undertake home energy upgrades, for warmer, healthier and more comfortable homes, with lower energy bills. Free upgrades are available for households at risk of energy poverty under the Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme. Since February, demand across the SEAI retrofit schemes...

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

Eamon Ryan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 93, 100, 107 and 108 together. The National Heat Study recognises the potential of geothermal energy to supply district heating schemes, my Department has established the Geothermal Energy Advisory Group to advise on the finalisation of the ‘Draft Policy Statement on Geothermal Energy for a Circular Economy’. The Advisory Group will hold its...

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

Eamon Ryan: My Department and the Local Government Management Agency are continuing to work together to establish an enhanced enforcement support structure to be established next year. This structure will support the provision of improved co-ordination, expertise, and advice to support consistent implementation of air quality legislation across the country. A business case for a new structure has been...

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...