Government to publish final version of mitigation plan to address climate change

The Government will publish the final version of the National Mitigation Plan to address climate change shortly, Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment Denis Naughten has confirmed.

The plan’s 100 actions across government would “drive deeper reductions in Irish greenhouse gas emissions” as Ireland moved to permanently decarbonise its economy, Mr Naughten told the annual Energy Ireland conference in Croke Park, Dublin. “It will set out what Ireland is doing, and plans to do, to further our transition to a low carbon, climate resilient and environmentally sustainable economy, by 2050.”

As part of this, it was essential that all in the energy sector scale up ambitions on reducing carbon, he said, as energy and climate action were inextricably linked. “Using less energy, and using it more efficiently, is the most cost-effective and accessible way for us all to take action on climate change.”

Ministers with responsibility for transport, housing and agriculture would outline their priorities in addressing climate change over coming weeks, Mr Naughten said.

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Under the energy portfolio this year, a memo would go to Government in the next week to create a new entity, Bioenergy Ireland, to source indigenous sources of biomass for use in renewable heat sector and peat-burning power stations.

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland was facilitating a programme to retrofit schools to ensure better energy efficiency. Other projects included identifying how to provide better energy efficiency in homes on a much wider scale and working with Teagasc to improve energy usage on dairy farmers. The public sector would play its part, while State agencies, hospitals and schools would be allowed retain savings in energy use.

A new All-Ireland single electricity market (I-SEM) would be rolled out in May next year – despite uncertainty over Brexit. The Government remained committed to the building of a North-South electricity interconnector; a vital part to having an all-island electricity system.

On Brexit, Mr Naughton said: “There is a wide awareness of the extent of trade in energy between the UK and Ireland. The UK is the conduit through which we source the majority of our oil and gas imports. The transition to a low carbon energy system will reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. However, in the medium term, the continued secure supply of fossil fuels is a key consideration. It is therefore important to recognise the contribution of indigenous sources of energy to security of supply.”

ESB chief executive Pat O'Doherty told the conference there were unique energy challenges for Ireland due to Brexit. He was optimistic as the UK was not self-sufficient in energy. "It needs to import energy to keep the lights on and to heat homes. It needs energy from the EU."

Britain had improved competition in the EU context, so a solution in the interests of both parties was possible. There was an economic case for a single integrated all-Ireland energy system, but that had to be made work politically.

Ireland would meet its 2020 targets for the use of renewable energy, he said. With wind energy already supplying 50 per cent of our power needs at any one time, he questioned whether there was a need to rollout out solar energy immediately, even if the price of solar panels has dropped by 80 per cent over the past decade.

Offshore and onshore wind would be important elements in a reconfigured energy sector, though community issues still needed to be resolved on the latter front. He had no doubt that solar energy would be part of the solution, post 2020.

Ireland had unique problems in trying reduce its carbon emissions, but it was not a case of waiting for California to provide technology solutions, Mr O’Doherty said. The ESB was seeking its own solutions and collaborating with others in helping to decarbonise Irish energy production. This included working on battery storage development and use of electrical cars.

The use of electric cars was “on the cusp of take off”in his view, but financial supports were still needed to seed change. He noted that electric car owners in Oslo were entitled to free car parking and access to free tolling in the city. “So you are saving money every time you get into the car.”

The availability of batteries with a 350km journey capacity was close at hand, which with a “fast charge”infrastructure, especially on motorways, would facilitate much wider use of the electric car.

Use of more energy efficient heat systems in homes was more problematic as the payback from replacing oil-fired central heating with the installation of electrical heat pumps was longer.

Mr O’Doherty rejected the suggestion that ESB’s Moneypoint coal-fired power station should be closed on the basis that with farming it is Ireland’s biggest source of carbon pollution. With the transition to a decarbonised world, energy affordability and sustainability were necessary. He accepted that coal use in power generation was “on borrowed time”, but if Moneypoint closed tomorrow it would add €200 million to annual electricity prices for Irish consumers.

Commission for Energy Regulation in Ireland chairperson Paul McGowan said the consumer was going to become “the empowered energy citizen” benefiting from technology in the form of smart metering in the home which in real time would help ensure much more efficient energy use.

Rollout of smart meters in Ireland, however, had not progressed as well as it should have, he added.

On retail prices, he said there was good progress in introducing competition to the Irish market, though he had concerns about “inactive customers” who were not availing of the best options, while some were benefiting from relatively small discounts.

He underlined the need for energy suppliers to pass on price reductions to the same extent that they pass on increases.