Results 11,301-11,320 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Offshore Renewable Energy Development Plan (7 Apr 2022)

Eamon Ryan: I appreciate the chance. We discussed it yesterday when we were talking about carbon budgets. I will explain why Cork Harbour will be essential to this economic opportunity. First, many of our energy assets are there. We have the Whitegate refinery and the power stations in Aghada and Whitegate. Most of our big pharmaceutical industries are there, which are large energy users. We have...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: North-South Interconnector (7 Apr 2022)

Eamon Ryan: The North-South interconnector is critical to improving the efficient operation of the all-island integrated single electricity market and increasing security of electricity supply in Ireland and Northern Ireland. It will also facilitate the achievement of the goal of generating up to 80% of our electricity from renewable sources by 2030. A resilient and well-connected energy infrastructure...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: North-South Interconnector (7 Apr 2022)

Eamon Ryan: It is almost 18 years since we started looking at this. I was a member of the relevant joint committee at the time, and we met with EirGrid and started looking at all of these options. If, as the Deputy says, his preferred option is underground DC cable connectivity, it seems to me that one of the aspects, one of the key truths around that, is that it would see no development in Armagh,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: North-South Interconnector (7 Apr 2022)

Eamon Ryan: We need to get this right. We need to get it right in energy terms and we need to get it right in economic terms. I want to flag my real concern that, because we have not been able to get agreement, there is real potential for a fissure and it will be the North of Ireland which will suffer and the Border counties. That is not what we want to see. In response to Deputy Carthy, I have every...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: North-South Interconnector (7 Apr 2022)

Eamon Ryan: As I said, the Deputy may be in a position some day where those Government decisions have to be taken. I do not think that in those circumstances he would see the civil servants or the public officials as pig-headed. I think they are looking to deliver the best projects for the public good.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: North-South Interconnector (7 Apr 2022)

Eamon Ryan: My fear is that that may not be possible because we cannot get political agreement on doing anything. That is the real issue that we have to be concerned with. It is the politics of this that we have to get right, as well as the energy analysis.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (7 Apr 2022)

Eamon Ryan: The Deputy is absolutely right to question this, because the very centre point of us delivering everything else is ensuring that we have the resources within particular State agencies to deliver. On that basis, officials from my Department have been engaging with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage with respect to the level of staffing required by An Bord Pleanála...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (7 Apr 2022)

Eamon Ryan: I do not agree. My experience of EirGrid, having engaged with the company for over 15 years, is that it is absolutely across its brief. It is highly capable, professional and has real expertise in terms of how we develop the transmission system and how we manage this incredibly complex project - this variable supply and demand balancing system. I look at the variety of projects which...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (7 Apr 2022)

Eamon Ryan: I will be going to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform looking for delivery on the sort of numbers that CRU is looking for in its strategic plan. I think we will be able to recruit people, because there are a lot of people with energy expertise in our country. We need to see movement from the private sector into the regulatory sector. I think that has to be managed...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Climate Change Policy (7 Apr 2022)

Eamon Ryan: No one is forcing anyone to take on any of these measures. With regard to the likes of a solar farm, the landowner would obviously first have to decide to make an application. The success of such applications will be governed by grid connections and proximity to the transmission or distribution system as much as by anything else. The connection cost will probably be the key arbiter as to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Wind Energy Generation (7 Apr 2022)

Eamon Ryan: We are being ambitious. We have to achieve what was set out in the programme for Government, that is, at least 5 GW of offshore wind energy generation by 2030. The programme for Government commits to developing a longer-term plan to harness the estimated 30 GW of wind energy that could potentially be tapped into in our Atlantic waters. The Maritime Area Planning Act 2021 provides the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Wind Energy Generation (7 Apr 2022)

Eamon Ryan: We could be more ambitious, and we need to be. The real issue is delivery. One of the ways to deliver is through regional co-operation. I mentioned that many other European countries are now involved in a massive expansion of offshore wind plant. It is not just happening in Europe, but also in America, Asia and everywhere else because it is one of the cheapest and best sources of power we...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Wind Energy Generation (7 Apr 2022)

Eamon Ryan: I will try to answer those various questions in the short time I have. In response to Deputy Hourigan, I can say that the EU-US agreement does not impinge on us or force us in any direction. We have to make our own strategic decisions based on our own energy modelling and assessment. We always work in European co-operation, but in gas we are separated in effect from the European grid gas...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (7 Apr 2022)

Eamon Ryan: I agree with Deputy Ó Cathasaigh. There are a number of areas where we have to accelerate the roll-out of the climate solutions to meet our climate targets. The debate last night showed this. This is with regard to switching to heat our homes, sustainable mobility and offshore renewable energy. The Government is establishing a number of task forces to look to see how we manage this,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (7 Apr 2022)

Eamon Ryan: I agree with both Deputies. I was giving the framework of what we are looking to do. Within that, however, it is critical that in the planning application process there is real public consultation and that it is an open, transparent and engaged process. Not every project will get planning permission. It is critical that there are community benefits and that all of the revenue does not...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Climate Change Policy (7 Apr 2022)

Eamon Ryan: I had the privilege of participating in the national climate stakeholder forum on 22 March this year. The forum was chaired by Professor Alan Barrett, director of the ESRI, and focused on realising the opportunities presented by the transition to carbon neutrality in a fair and equitable manner. The forum comprised a series of one-day deliberative workshops attended by more than 120...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Climate Change Policy (7 Apr 2022)

Eamon Ryan: It absolutely makes sense for us to make it public. This is part of the answer to the question asked earlier about how we consult. This is an example of consultation and it is at the early stage. Before we have even established these task forces to accelerate delivery on some of the key areas, we are working in a partnership approach. We listen to the NGO community, trade unions and the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (7 Apr 2022)

Eamon Ryan: Citizen engagement is at the heart of Ireland's energy and climate transformation. Local coastal communities will be central to the decision-making processes of community engagement initiatives as part of Ireland's offshore renewable energy journey. The Maritime Area Planning Act 2021 provides the legal underpinning to an entirely new marine planning system which will enable the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Energy Policy (7 Apr 2022)

Eamon Ryan: The Deputy is right that we went into this crisis in good stead because the National Oil Reserves Agency to my mind has done a very good job. We have a lot of stock. We have a 90-day stock that we are required to have under International Energy Agency rules. The majority of that is held within the island. We have even looked at some of the security aspects of that over the past ten to 15...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Energy Policy (7 Apr 2022)

Eamon Ryan: -----some of those stocks may end up back on the Irish market as physical stocks. I think that we are well served by NORA. In my experience, it has been giving good, timely advice on this crisis-----