Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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279. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if his Department will publish the current projected EU climate targets for Ireland; and the actions being taken to reduce Ireland’s projected emissions in order to meet those targets. [19679/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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The European Climate Law, agreed by all EU Member States, including Ireland, commits the EU to achieving climate neutrality by 2050. It also sets an EU wide intermediate target of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. In addition the European Climate Law sets out a process, currently underway, to agree a further EU wide intermediate target by 2040.

Targets for Ireland for 2030 under the EU framework are set by the EU Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR) which covers emissions from those sectors of the economy that fall outside the scope of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) including transport, buildings, agriculture, light industry and waste.

The ESR sets a target for Ireland of a 42% reduction in emissions as set out above by 2030, relative to 2005 levels, and provides for the introduction of annual targets, known as annual emissions allocations (AEAs), for each year 2021 - 2030. Ireland’s AEAs for the years 2021 – 2025 have been set and are published in Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2020/2126 as amended by (EU) 2023/1319.

Ireland’s GHG emissions projections are updated annually by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and published on their website. The latest available projections were published in May 2024, covering the years 2023 – 2050. The 2025 projections will be published by the EPA in the coming months.

Work is ongoing across Government to meet our targets including through driving forward implementation of the annual Climate Action Plan. An important step in this regard was the publication of Climate Action Plan 2025 (CAP 25) on 15 April. CAP 25 builds on the programme of actions set out in the 2024 Plan and on Ireland’s updated National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) and sets out a range of additional actions to accelerate emissions reductions across all sectors to get Ireland on track towards achieving its 2030 targets.

Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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280. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment whether the proposed liquefied natural gas facility, which has been acknowledged as an interim measure, will include infrastructure to facilitate a transition to green hydrogen; and if not, whether such infrastructure will be developed in parallel. [19680/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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As outlined in the Programme for Government, this Government is committed to taking decisive action to radically reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and to achieve a 51% reduction in emissions from 2018 to 2030, and to achieving net-zero emissions no later than 2050.

The Programme for Government also sets out the commitment to achieving 80% of Ireland’s electricity generation from renewable sources by 2030 and to take all necessary action to ensure and protect Ireland’s energy security.

It is through delivering on this commitment that we will deliver a secure and sustainable energy future.

The commitment to a secure energy future builds upon the 'Energy Security in Ireland to 2030' report, approved by Government in November 2023. The report includes 28 actions and is defined by three policy objectives: sustainability, affordability, and security.

Action 17 of the Plan is the development of a State-led strategic gas reserve. On 4 March, Government approved the development of a State-led strategic gas emergency reserve, in the form of a Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU), for use in the event of an interruption to gas supplies. An FSRU was identified as the optimum solution, in accordance with specific requirements, including alignment to sustainability objectives.

A State-led strategic gas emergency reserve, operating on a non-commercial basis for use only in the event of an emergency, will provide resilience to the gas system and mitigate against the major consequences for our society and our economy that would arise from a significant gas supply disruption in Ireland.

My Department is developing the appropriate policy and legislative measures to ensure that a strategic reserve provides the resilience to our energy system in a manner that:

• does not inadvertently increase gas demand by increasing the supply available on the market; and
• is compatible with the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act and will avoid the risk to fossil fuel lock-in or stranded fossil fuel assets.

The Strategic Gas Emergency Reserve will be designed to be divested when no longer required, Key criteria for the selection of this solution is that any permanent or onshore enabling infrastructure will be designed in a manner to maximise potential future uses, including opportunities to support the energy transition as referenced by the Deputy.