Written answers
Thursday, 11 July 2024
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Climate Action Plan
Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael)
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35. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to provide an update on his Department’s support for Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland, with regard to reducing emissions from industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30491/24]
Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Over the next decade the transition to a low carbon economy will substantially alter the business environment, while improving competitiveness and resilience. 'Integrating Decarbonisation and Net Zero Commitments' has been a key policy priority under the White Paper on Enterprise and as such, my Department promotes and supports decarbonisation across the enterprise base.
Government agencies such as Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and the Local Enterprise Offices work together to promote the widespread uptake of decarbonisation technologies and energy efficiency initiatives. The table below sets out the current financial supports offered through the Enterprise Agencies and the Local Enterprise Offices.
In addition, my Department provides non-financial supports, such as the Climate Toolkit 4 Business. The Toolkit provides businesses with an understanding of their current carbon footprint and provides information on the resources available to reduce emissions.
The target audience for the Toolkit is SMEs and micro enterprises who wish to start their decarbonisation journey and it directs them to the financial support appropriate to their business size and sector.
Breakdown of Decarbonisation Schemes offered by enterprise agencies
| Name of Support | Agency Offering | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental Aid Programme | EI, IDA | Capital grant for large sustainability & decarbonisation projects. 30%-50% Grant rate, €300 million ringfenced for this. Capital grant for large sustainability & decarbonisation projects, generally for projects in the millions of euros. |
| Climate Planning Fund for Business | EI, LEOs (GreenStart only) | Sub-stream of the Green Transition Fund, which offers four grants, ranging from €1,800 to €50,000 with varying grant rates per stream. The Fund is targeted at companies of different sizes and at different stages of engagement to accelerate their awareness of CO2 abatement opportunities, build capacity and put in place sustainability plans. Supports included in the Fund: Climate Action Voucher, GreenStart, GreenPlus & the Strategic Consultancy Grant |
| Enterprise Emissions Reduction Investment Fund | EI, IDA | Sub-stream of the Green transition Fund, offers six grants, ranging from €5,000 up to €1 million in grant support with varying grant rates per stream. This stream targets manufacturing companies using fossil fuels and incentivises them to adopt CO2 abatement technologies in their processes. Supports included in the Fund: Capital Investment for Decarbonised Processes, Energy Monitoring & Tracking Systems, RD&I Fund, Innovation Vouchers, Exploring Innovation Grant & Agile Innovation Fund |
| Green for Business | LEOs | Small and Micro enterprises (up to 50 staff) can avail of free expert advice and mentorship and a unique report for their business to understand and plan the next steps in their sustainability. |
| Energy Efficiency Grant | LEOs | 50% grant rate, ranging from €1,000 to €5,000, supporting the investment in technologies following on from a Green for Business Report or SEAI Energy Audit to increase resilience of the business. As part of the SME package I announced in May of this year, the maximum amount available under the Grant will increase to €10,000 and the grant rate will rise to 75%. |
EI = Enterprise Ireland, LEOs = Local Enterprise Offices, IDA = IDA Ireland.
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