Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Under the Programme for Government, Ireland has committed to reducing emissions by 51% across all sectors of the economy by 2030 and to become net zero by 2050. These commitments are enshrined in law under the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021. Accordingly, all sectors of the economy must remain within defined five-year Carbon Budgets which align with our climate ambitions.

In particular, I have responsibility for Government's measures to reduce on-site emissions in our manufacturing sectors by 20% by 2025 and 35% by 2030. These include emissions associated with heat generation in manufacturing and industrial processes produced in making products like cement. Alongside the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, my Department has also committed to reducing emissions from the our commercial buildings stock by 20% by 2025 and 45% by 2030.

My Department is actively pursuing many opportunities for decarbonisation across the enterprise base and integrating climate action into all aspects of the Department and its agencies’ activities. We will foster strong, resilient businesses, that are successful and sustainable, while meeting our sector’s climate targets. These efforts are backed by a number of Government supports for enterprise decarbonisation including the Green Transition Fund, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland’s Environment Aid schemes, the new Energy Efficiency Grant available through Local Enterprise Offices, and the Climate Toolkit for Business to help SMEs get started.

The majority of emissions from industry arise from the generation of heat in manufacturing processes. We must reduce the impact of this heat demand through greater energy efficiency, and by switching away from fossil fuels for generating that heat. Decarbonising our manufacturing sector alongside our energy sectors is key to Ireland’s future economy and competitiveness.

Under the Climate Action Plan 2023, my Department will develop a roadmap to set out the key policy interventions to achieve the objectives set out for decarbonising industrial heat. The roadmap will include a pathway to the electrification of low temperature heat, and the prioritisation of decarbonised gas for use in high temperature heating. The roadmap will develop actions for inclusion in the next Climate Action Plan and will address the three carbon budget periods up to 2035.

The Green Transition Fund was launched in June 2022. It is a €55m fund designed to specifically to address manufacturing combustion emissions from our industrial sector, to accelerate the uptake of carbon-neutral heating in manufacturing businesses. It provides manufacturing businesses the foundation they need to begin their transition to low carbon production processes and through investment in carbon abating capital equipment and technologies.

The remaining industry on-site emissions arise from the chemical reactions in industrial processes, primarily from the cement sector. The Cement and Construction Sector Decarbonisation Working Group, which my Department chairs, is progressing a multi-faceted approach to tackling the complex emissions in our construction. For example, the Working Group is undertaking a piece of research to inform a public procurement policy by Q3 2023 to help public bodies incorporate the principle of low carbon construction materials in all publicly procured or supported projects, with an initial focus on cement products. The aim is to ensure public procurement plays a significant role in the wider adoption of low carbon building materials and practices. Enterprise Ireland are also engaging directly with the cement sector and those producing construction materials, with the objective of assisting them to invest in decarbonising their products.

Climate Action Plan 2023 also lays out our ambition to decarbonise the buildings in which our enterprises operate. A separate roadmap is being developed, led by my Department and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, supported by other relevant Departments, that will set out the key policy interventions to achieve the objectives set out for decarbonising our commercial building stock. Early analysis shows that our efforts will need to focus on buildings such as hotels, hospitality, retailers and offices, to address legacy fossil fuel heating systems. In order to support the commercial built environment in its decarbonisation journey the roadmap will also set out the standards, regulations and timelines that will help drive the necessary changes in heating systems, minimum equipment efficiencies and smart operational and monitoring strategies and technologies required to meet the targets.

The Climate Toolkit 4 Business helps Irish enterprises to begin their transition to zero emissions. The simplified carbon calculator generates an estimated carbon footprint for the user and produces a plan of tailored actions recommended in response to the data provided. The target audience for the Toolkit is SMEs and micro enterprises who wish to start their decarbonisation journey. It is particularly useful for businesses that do not yet have a sophisticated understanding of their carbon emissions or the steps they should consider to reduce their emissions. The Toolkit will direct users to advice, grants and other resources available from the LEOs, EI, SEAI, Irish Water, EPA, IDA and others.