Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael)
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I have spoken many times in this Chamber since being elected regarding how seriously Longford in particular has been affected by the closures of operations at Mountdillon and Lough Ree power stations in Lanesborough. This has had a significant affect on families who worked there and the local businesses. As I have said previously, the shortfall in rates has been made up and I am glad that we recently got a commitment that there will be a process in this regard from 2023 onwards.

A fund was made available in 2020 to support communities' transition to a low-carbon economy. The fund is a key pillar of the Government's plan for the midlands region. The focus is on retraining workers and generating sustainable employment in the green enterprise throughout the region. The objective of the fund is to facilitate innovative projects that contribute to the economic, social and environmental sustainability of the region. It supports projects that take a whole-of-midlands strategic approach and complement each other. I welcome the supports heretofore and the need for a just transition in the midlands. Some €108 million was allocated for the bog rehabilitation scheme. This is extremely welcome in my area because following the closure of both power plants, there is a great opportunity for us to turn these places into an asset such as the mid-Shannon wilderness park, a 20,000-acre national park that will be a fantastic tourism asset.

Other projects have been funded, including Lough Ree and Lanesborough food hub, which was immediately repurposed with funding from Enterprise Ireland, following Bord na Móna pulling out of the project, Lough Ree Access For All, Lough Ree Distillery, and the Yard Hub, just to name a few. This funding is crucial as it will support communities in the midlands that have been impacted by the just transition and make this region a location for green and sustainable investment.

However we are here to seek the commitment from ESB and Bord na Móna to provide funding of €500,000 to develop a community facility in the Lanesborough and Ballyleague area, following the closure of the plant. I had a meeting recently with Kieran Mulvey, the just transition commissioner, who has put these proposals to provide that funding for both Lanesborough and Shannonbridge. As yet the ESB and Bord na Móna have not made a commitment to do so. I ask for a commitment from the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications that either the ESB or Bord na Móna provide this funding proposed by the commissioner to develop a community facility in Lanesborough, County Longford.

Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth, to the House. The transition from brown to green is happening. I want to mention north-east Roscommon because Lanesborough and Ballyleague in Longford, as the Minister of State knows, are separated from the area by the River Shannon. The people of that region are prepared to make that change but, as Senator Carrigy has eloquently pointed out, commitments were made by Bord na Móna and the ESB, two semi-State bodies, to help society. I acknowledge the Minister for funding we already received. Senator Carrigy mentioned Lough Ree Access For All, the food hub, the distillery and other projects in the area, which are very important, but the point we are making is that it would appear that Bord na Móna and the ESB are pulling back. They do not seem to be prepared to live up to their word. It is crucial for our communities in the region that those semi-State bodies stick to their word. We need assistance. The people of the region, with their politicians, will implement the programmes and make the changes. The Minister of State will understand this very well. It has been a core argument of Government that society and communities have to be helped to get over the line. I will not labour the point.I will not labour the point. The Minister of State knows what Senator Carrigy and I are saying. We need those semi-State bodies to deliver that money for the Lanesborough-Ballyleague area. In general, the ESB has committed €6 million to community projects, so it needs to live up to that, as does Bord na Móna.

Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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I will reply on behalf of the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and the Government. I welcome the opportunity to set out the actions being taken by the Government in response to the announcement of the closure of the peat-fuelled power stations and the end of peat harvesting by Bord na Móna.

The work of Kieran Mulvey, as just transition commissioner in the midlands over the past year, has seen a comprehensive engagement with relevant stakeholders, including the ESB, to address the challenges facing the region, Bord na Móna workers and their families and communities arising from an accelerated exit from peat harvesting. The commissioner has produced three progress reports to date and a further progress report is expected by the end of this year. The Department has responded to his recommendations with the development of the midlands implementation plan and associated actions, which are detailed in the recently published climate action plan.

It has been agreed the just transition commissioner's work will reach its natural conclusion at the end of 2021. However, given the broad nature of the challenges associated with the transition to a climate neutral economy and society, the climate action plan 2021 commits the Government to the establishment of a just transition commission to provide strategic advice to the Government, building on research and engagement through the national dialogue on climate action and the annual review of the Climate Change Advisory Council, on how Government policy can further a just transition. I will develop proposals on the mandate for this in 2022 in advance of drafting legislation.

The ESB provided €5 million to the just transition fund in 2020 to support the just transition in the midlands, and I understand it is continuing to explore the development of infrastructure in the midlands for use by local community groups. The just transition commissioner has facilitated ongoing discussion with the ESB and key stakeholders such as the midlands regional transition team and local authorities to develop, mobilise and deliver opportunities for the midlands, for both the workers directly affected and the wider community. The ESB is also developing planning applications for both station sites as renewable energy centres to facilitate growth in the green technology sector. This is in anticipation of future competitive tenders to be held by EirGrid and the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU. The proposed technology includes synchronous condensers and energy storage capabilities at both locations.

I also understand the ESB provided an update on its plans for both sites to the most recent meeting of the midlands regional transition team, on 1 December. The ESB remains committed to the midlands through the development of these projects, its €5 million contribution to the just transition fund and its network operations, which employ more than 400 highly skilled engineers, technicians and office workers in the region, as well as its national training centre for network technicians in Portlaoise.

The Government is committed to a just transition in the midlands and has dedicated significant funding to supporting workers, companies and communities affected by the transition to a carbon-neutral society. Through the national just transition fund, the Department has finalised grant agreements with 47 just transition fund projects, with the total value of projects in delivery mode standing at approximately €19.3 million, with €15.5 million in grant funding.

Looking ahead to future just transition supports, the EU just transition fund, which is part of the European Green Deal, will allocate €84 million to Ireland to alleviate the socioeconomic impacts of the just transition in the most affected regions. The Department is preparing a territorial just transition plan for approval by the European Commission and this will define the regions and activities for support under the new fund. A total of €108 million has been secured for the enhanced decommissioning, rehabilitation and restoration scheme, EDRRS, which has created a total of 350 jobs. A further €14 million has been provided in 2021 to the National Parks and Wildlife Service to fund peatlands restoration and protect raised bogs in the midlands.

Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the statement on behalf of the Minister. We acknowledge the ESB is still involved in negotiations, although there was little mention of Bord na Móna. We are anxious it should play its part in this as well. The communities have been fantastic to Bord na Móna over the years and it has been good to the communities as well. On the environmental change from brown to green, we must remember the just transition. It is important to recognise that it was to be an eight-year process, which was brought down to two and was then even shortened below two. We accepted that but we need the same response from those organisations, from the ESB and from Bord na Móna, to act swiftly and as quickly as possible.

Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael)
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Senator Murphy has outlined the case. I want to highlight that the contract for a just transition commissioner is due to end shortly. Kieran Mulvey is well known to us and for the work he has done. He is very well experienced in this role and knows the communities and people involved. I ask the Department to reappoint him for a further two years. As I have said, he knows the communities and projects and these projects have been slow in getting off the ground, so we need that continuity to ensure they are delivered.

Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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I thank the Senators. The Senator is correct in that the just transition commission was meant to be wound down at the end of this month, and it was decided at the time of the climate action plan that it will be put on a permanent footing. I cannot comment on who will be the person who will be appointed and, to be honest, I do not know. I will convey the Senator’s support for Kieran Mulvey to the senior Minister.

The roles of Bord na Móna and the ESB have been critical in the midlands. They have been very significant employers and have provided pensions for many people. Many people I have met when I was travelling the midlands have been involved in energy infrastructure. My feeling is the ESB and Bord the Móna will continue to fulfil that role, to be large and significant employers, but in green energy projects. That is why I see renewable energy applications on both of the sites of those power stations to produce jobs that will last into the future. A very important part of this is the retraining element. The ESB Portlaoise training centre is critical to that. I have spoken to the chief executive of the ESB about ensuring that is properly funded. If Senators are having any difficulty in dealing with those agencies or through the just transition commission, which is meant to be there to facilitate those communications, do contact my office and I will try to help.