First, it is intended to publish the Dermot McCarthy review in conjunction with the energy security review. It was decided to put back that publication at that time because it is appropriate that his work complements the other work that is being done. In terms of lessons, there are lessons to be learned from that. One of the things to recognise is that the development of the new capacity auction system was among the first examples of how European legislation approached this. It was only in 2017 and 2018 that the ap…

The recent EPA report makes it clear we have to act now on climate change and reduce emissions. To reverse the trajectory and meet our 2030 climate targets, a significant shift is required in the speed at which we roll out and ramp up the policies and measures that will decarbonise our economy. The Climate Action Plan 2023 sets out our roadmap for systemic changes to reach those objectives. We need to act much faster and with greater ambition and scale to implement the actions set out in the plan. The recent EPA re…

No, I believe we should do the climate action plan at the same time each year. It is an iterative process. It requires a lot of work to be able to come up with real, practical solutions. One of the reasons for that is the whole issue of land use, which is probably one of the areas where there is the greatest shortfall. We have to update the plan to include targets on that. We held back on that last year because the science had changed quite significantly in advance of the drafting of the 2023 plan. A body of work w…

I am sorry. I had asked a colleague whether there had been any update and I have now been informed that the European Parliament committee has just voted in support of the nature restoration law by means of the chair's casting vote. That helps tremendously.

May I explain why it is connected? We will now have to go to a meeting of the European Council next Tuesday, where a similar consensus should and will be arrived at. That will allow us to progress that law, which is good not just for nature but also for climate. To answer the Deputy's question as to the opportunities that arise and the ways in which we could do it-----

That is what we need to do. The approach we are taking here is iterative. It changes every year. You learn by doing. You accelerate what is working and, where there is a problem, you look at other solutions to work around it. The land use sector is the most complex. It is complex because you have to prioritise rural development to make sure we have a whole generation of new people coming into farming and forestry, young people who will have a guaranteed livelihood and income so that they will be able to raise famil…

Council Regulation (EU) 2022/1854 seeks to address windfall gains in the energy sector by collecting excess revenues from those companies that have unexpectedly benefited from high prices and redistributing those revenues to alleviate pressures on affected consumers. As per Article 22(2)(c) of the regulation, a cap on market revenues shall apply from 1 December 2022 to 30 June 2023. In November of last year, the Government decided to approve the implementation of the Council regulation. In March 2023, the Governmen…

In line with the European regulation, it is the Government's intention to use the revenues to support Irish consumers in what is still an environment of very high energy prices. This is a difficult time for many households and businesses. Tara Mines, which we were talking about earlier on, is a perfect example of how challenging things are. The legislation is designed in such a way as to provide further help to Irish households and businesses, along with the other measures we have introduced. On the technical aspec…

We are not going to go outside the EU regulation. We are always best legally and in every which way to work in tandem with EU regulations. On the flexibility allowed under those regulations, can the Deputy show me a country that has put a higher rate on the market cap mechanism?

No. Our rate is significantly higher. It is based on very good analysis. Our wind resource tends to be stronger than that of any other jurisdiction.

We have gone further than any other government in looking to derive revenues from this. However, I have to say one thing: we should not have any false expectations as to the scale of the revenues involved or their impact on the overall area of energy policy.

When this was originally established by decisions in Europe and by our own Government, gas market prices were at a level at which we might have expected much larger revenues. As the Deputy said, since then and in the first six months of this year, the price of gas on the wholesale market has fallen dramatically. That will see a much lower level of revenue from what was always designed as a mechanism to tap profits deriving from higher gas prices. When those prices fall, by definition, the revenue we might expect al…

We are working under the European regulation.

The national marine planning framework was adopted by the Government in 2021 as Ireland's first marine spatial plan. Later in 2021, the Maritime Area Planning Act was enacted. Under the Maritime Area Planning Act, a new maritime area consent, MAC, regime for offshore energy projects was developed over the course of 2022 by my Department. I awarded MACs to seven phase 1 projects in December 2022. I have already welcomed the provisional results of the first offshore wind auction under the renewable electricity suppor…

I believe we can, and will. It is not just 2030 that is the key milestone. The reality is that the real big prize is a significant development on the west, north-west and south-west coasts, in our sea areas and sometimes our land areas, where we have some of the highest wind speeds in the world. The development of these coasts is very important. We need that to help power our economy and our country, and to help lower the cost of energy. It is very welcome that we now have greater clarity that the auction process w…

We are not alone in this complex issue. When I talk to my German, Dutch, Belgium and British colleagues, I note that every one of them faces the similar constraint issue. They also have the issue of the optimisation of various competing environmental objectives. The European Commission increasingly recognises that. We have to optimise where we develop offshore wind and ensure the wider environment is protected. I think we can do that. The development of offshore wind will be really good for the restoration of the m…

I will not repeat the written response I read earlier. More widely, we live in a time when people are naturally very concerned. Looking at what is happening in the global weather climate system at present, there is much real concern at the dramatic increase, outside any historic precedent, of the temperatures in the north Atlantic. The ongoing degradation of the Antarctic and Arctic ice sheets is cause for real fear and concern. It highlights the need for dramatic scaled-up action on climate. Sometimes we wonder if…

It is very challenging because it is very complex. In response to an earlier question I made the point that there is good news from Brussels today in that the European environment committee has voted through the nature restoration law. I expect that at the Council meeting next Tuesday, when we will be there representing the Irish position, it will also go through. It will then go through a trial-like process to be agreed by the end of the year. This is important. Any influence that Deputy Bruton has on his EPP coll…

I agree with this. It is exactly in line with what I was saying. We cannot be punitive or point the finger. It has to be remunerated, supported and voluntary. I will give several more examples. An area where I see real progress is in the work done by Bord na Móna and others on State land where we are rewetting up to 30,000 ha. We will do this in the lifetime of the Government. Bord na Móna is using the same skills it developed over the years. It is happening and it is working. It goes beyond what anyone has been sp…

In fairness to Deputy Ó Murchú he has been very assiduous and diligent on following this issue. The SEAI-led national heat study found that district heating can deliver enough decarbonised heat to meet a significant portion of Ireland's renewable heat targets. In this context district heating schemes are large-scale systems that are supplied by one or several centralised or decentralised heat sources and serve multiple buildings and multiple customers. This is a new concept to Ireland. Group or communal heating sch…