Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Ambitious renewable energy targets are needed to achieve the required reduction in energy related emissions to meet Ireland’s climate related goals and to set Ireland on the pathway to climate neutrality. Ireland is committed to achieving its renewable energy targets, and will continue to put in place the policies and measures that will allow these reductions to be achieved over the remainder of the decade and beyond. Achieving Ireland’s renewable energy targets will also reduce Ireland’s import dependencies, thereby reducing the impact of international events on energy prices in Ireland.

I am aware of the recent report from the European Commission and I would note the significant activity already underway across the renewable heat, transport and electricity sectors. Maximising renewable wind energy, in particular, is a significant priority for this government. Ireland is currently third in the world for installed wind power capacity per capita and is a world leader in the integration of variable renewable electricity onto the grid. In the transport sector, fuel suppliers are already obligated to supply a percentage share of renewable energy, mandated in Ireland since 2010 through the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO), and the Climate Action Plan includes a range of measures to address the use of fossil fuel in heating systems in buildings. My department continues to utilise the findings of the National Heat Study to inform the development of options, policies and measures to decarbonise the heating and cooling sectors to 2050.

However, there are key challenges to address in these sectors and, for that specific reason, a number of Taskforces have been established.

For example, the Accelerating Renewable Electricity Taskforce was established to identify, coordinate, and prioritise the required policies to achieve the onshore renewable electricity targets, and to ensure that barriers to the implementation of such policies are removed or minimised to the greatest extent possible.

The overarching aim of the Heat and Built Environment Delivery Taskforce is to identify work on the critical path to delivery of key targets under the retrofitting, renewable heat, district heat and decarbonisation of the building stock areas, to ensure alignment in the development of polices and activities underway across Government Departments, and to proactively manage risks to ensure targets are achieved.

Working Groups have also been established under the Renewable Transport Fuel Policy to address the challenges associated with the achievement of EU renewable energy obligations and domestic targets, in light of ambitious future targets for renewable energy supply across the transport sector.