Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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45. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if a further call for applications for the climate action fund will be made in the future in view of the announcement of the first successful projects in late November 2018. [3179/19]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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53. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if the development of the climate action fund will be prioritised to include community based projects. [3178/19]

Tony McLoughlin (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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57. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the role which local authorities nationally will play as applicants or project partners in the seven projects recently announced under the climate action fund. [3186/19]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 45, 53 and 57 together.

The Local Authorities have been major players in the recent competition for support from the Climate Action Fund. Among the seven successful projects, two Local Authorities are the lead applicants and, in respect of another, 27 different Local Authorities are participating as project partners.

Local Authorities have also been involved in a number of the 90 applicant projects which were not successful on this occasion.

The two District Heating projects, that are led by Local Authorities, have the potential to heat the equivalent of up to 60,000 homes and deliver major improvements in energy efficiency and carbon emissions.

The 27 Local Authorities are participating in a public lighting efficiency project to retrofit all remaining 326,000 non-LED public lights in their areas which could save in excess of 300 thousand tonnes of carbon emissions over a ten year period.

The scope, structure and timeframe of future calls for applications have not yet been determined. To assist development of future calls, my Department plans to hold a workshop with all those who applied under the first call. This workshop, which will be held at the end of this month, will provide the opportunity to provide feedback to applicants and also to inform the next call.