Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Carrigy for referencing the climate action plan which, as he probably knows, is being updated. The newly revised climate action plan will be issued in the coming weeks, but I will take into account what the Senator has being saying. The routing of gas pipelines or the connection of towns to the gas pipeline network are matters for Gas Networks Ireland, a commercial State-sponsored body under the control of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and for the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, the statutory independent energy regulator, which conducts consultations on its regulatory decisions.

Gas Networks Ireland is mandated under section 8 of the Gas Act 1976 to develop and maintain a system for the supply of natural gas that is both economical and efficient. The Commission for Regulation of Utilities has, since 2002, been charged with all aspects of the assessment and licensing of prospective operators who wish to develop and-or operate a gas distribution system in the State, under the Gas (Interim) (Regulation) Act 2002. Therefore, the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications has no direct statutory function on the connection of towns to the gas network. I understand Gas Networks Ireland continues to engage with Longford County Council and relevant stakeholders that seek to build an economically-viable business case to extend the network further to the town, as per the requirements set out in the Commission for Regulation of Utilities' approved connection policy.

Despite the formal regulatory process, it is difficult to see how extending the gas network to new towns would be in keeping with the Government's overall climate and energy targets. With regard to the Government's upcoming climate action plan, I confirm it is not intended to include extensions of the gas network to new towns as a means of decarbonisation. The connections policy there allows for the appraisal of a new town, either on its own, or as part of a regional group of towns, and appraises both domestic and industrial commercial demand. Proximity to a major pipeline or a large industrial or commercial gas load tend to be the most significant factors in town appraisals.

Gas Networks Ireland is mandated, under section 8 of the Gas Act 1976, to develop and maintain a system for the supply of natural gas that is both economical and efficient. In terms of the engagement between Gas Networks Ireland and Longford County Council, there was a recent assessment under the connections policy, in 2017, which found connecting Longford to the gas network remained, at that time, unviable in the absence of significant new demand. That is the honest situation in which we find ourselves.

At the same time, every town in Ireland has to find a way to decarbonise. If it is moving people away from solid fuel and oil and will not be to natural gas, it has to be to something else. As the Senator said, biogas is certainly one option. Heat pumps are another option. Retrofitting is a part of the answer as well, but it is not the case there is no answer. What comes out in the climate action plan will be important to that.