I thank Senators for bringing forward this interesting motion. I will start by talking about the different options here, three of which have been discussed. The first is the situation we have at the moment, which is competition in the market. Anybody with a waste collection permit can go out and collect waste door-to-door if they wish, wherever they wish. Second, it is competition for the market that people seek to obtain an exclusive tender to collect waste in a particular area, which would presumably be organised…

I thank the Deputy for the question. The national retrofit plan set targets to carry out 185,000 energy upgrades and install 45,000 heat pumps in existing homes by 2025 and the equivalent of 500,000 B2 upgrades and 400,000 heat pumps by 2030. Between 2019 and the first quarter of 2024, almost 150,000 energy upgrades were supported by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI. Expenditure increased from €104 million in 2019 to a record €324.5 million last year and the budget is €430 million this year. Demand…

So far, 16,600 heat pumps have been installed in existing homes. The target for 2025, which is the next target date, is 45,000, so we have to get from 16,600 to 45,000 in two years to meet the 2025 target. The next target after that, which is much more demanding, is 400,000 heat pumps by 2030. The structure of these targets is set so the vast majority are in the second half of the decade compared with the first half. That is the answer on heat pump installation. Approximately 90% of new homes that are built are bei…

In order to install a heat pump, people need to ensure their home is suitable for heat pump installation, certainly in terms of whether it is insulated sufficiently to be ready to have the heat pump installed. Installation of a heat pump is a skilled activity and requires an understanding of connecting the heat pump with the plumbing system, for example, so it does take certain skills. The SEAI approves and certifies suppliers for doing this and it provides advice to homeowners on what type of insulation they need …

The climate action plan sets challenging targets for installed generation capacity in 2030. This includes 9 GW of onshore wind, 8 GW of solar and at least 2 GW of additional gas-fired generation capacity. Ireland now has over 6 GW of renewable electricity generation capacity, with 46% of electricity generated in Ireland in 2023 being renewable. I am informed by ESB Networks that the following volume of generation has been grid-connected since 2020 by fuel source and year. I will share a written copy of the table wi…

The Government acknowledges the Climate Change Advisory Council report and agrees that we must move at greater speed and scale to achieve our electricity targets. Ireland has achieved an unprecedented reduction in energy-related emissions. We had a 7% annual reduction last year and a 21% reduction in electricity-related emissions. This is despite a large increase in our population and a large increase in energy use. It is because of a great increase in wind and solar renewable electricity and also increased oversea…

I think the first part of the question was about delivery. It was about how much the Government has installed of new capacity. We have seen more than 2 GW of capacity installed over the course of the past four years. The fact there is now 1 GW of solar on the grid is incredible. I expect another 1.5 GW will be added this year and another 1.5 GW next year. Looking towards an 8 GW target for 2030 is absolutely achievable. What I see in all of these areas, despite the challenges, is delivery. I see connection of new w…

A national deposit return scheme, DRS, has been introduced to encourage more people to recycle bottles and cans and to ensure we meet our ambitious EU targets for the recycling of those materials under EU single-use plastics and packaging legislation. The Separate Collection (Deposit Return Scheme) Regulations, SI 599 of 2021, makes it the responsibility of beverage producers to establish a deposit return scheme and to nominate an operator for approval by the Minister. Those regulations were updated by the Separate…

I thank the Deputy. I take her point that she did not find sufficient information on Re-Turn's website. As I said, I speak to it regularly and indeed receive information from it daily. I will ask it to update its website and add more information, certainly to the level that is on any other. I did not check. The members of the board, for confirmation, are Tony Keohane, who is independent; Tara Buckley, who represents RGDATA, which is a collection of small retailers; Thomas Bourke from Coca-Cola; Conor Hyland from He…

I will explain the financial structure of the company, very briefly. Yes, I expect that eventually, when the scheme is mature, it will only be returning 92% of cans and bottles, that is, 8% where a deposit is paid and not returned. The money from that pays to run the scheme, in co-operation with a payment by the producers that will be of a similar quantity. The amount of money from unclaimed deposits will be similar to the amount of money paid in by producers for each bottle or can they produce and put on the marke…

The climate action plan recognises that a range of cross-government policies are needed to transform our electricity system so that it can become more flexible and successfully accommodate an ever-increasing volume of renewable energy sources that are widely distributed across our island. The dispatch down of renewable energy refers to renewable energy that is available to the grid but must be reduced as it cannot be used by the electricity system. This can be due to broad power system limitations, known as curtail…

As I understand it, EnergyCloud works by offering people who are on low incomes the chance to have a hot tank of water overnight, and that is done through energy that otherwise would have been thrown away and wasted. I understand this has been a successful experiment. I was asked about it before it started a couple of years ago and I understand that since it has been running it has been working well. It is for that reason that it is part of the energy poverty action strategy, which is in consultation at the moment.…

Yes.

There is a very simple answer to the question of whether I support the EnergyCloud system that takes energy that otherwise would have been thrown away and gives it to them to heat their water at night. Yes, I absolutely do. It has been a very successful experiment and I want to see it continuing. If we are going to continue with this kind of system, people need somewhere to store the energy in their homes. A tank of water is one way of doing that, and a battery on the wall is another. An electric car is another opt…

The North-South interconnector is an essential infrastructure project that will link the electricity transmission networks of Ireland and Northern Ireland, leading to a more secure, affordable and sustainable supply of electricity across the island. As a transmission project, the North-South interconnector is being undertaken by EirGrid, which is independent of the Minister, with EirGrid determining the means of delivery of the project. In so doing, it seeks to work in close collaboration with affected landowners a…

The most recent.

Sorry, that is the information I have to hand. It only relates to the most recent meeting. I am not aware of whether there were other meetings or briefings before that. If the Deputy has a specific period in mind, as the project has been going on for decades at this stage, I will come back with a better answer.

I am glad that the Deputy agrees with his colleague Conor Murphy MLA that there are great benefits to this project. I absolutely agree that there has to be good engagement with landowners. EirGrid manages the national electricity grid. It recently issued letters to about 400 landowners on the route of the planned North-South interconnector. The letters outline the infrastructure proposed on landholdings and the compensation payments being offered to landowners, which are approximately €50,000 per pylon and €160 per…

In Deputy O'Rourke's previous question about curtailment, he clearly showed an understanding of what the problems are when we have too much electricity in one part of the island and not enough in another and we cannot share it from one to the other. I am sure he understands what the benefits of the project are. Like any infrastructure project, whether building a road or a greenway, there is always a need for engagement with local communities and a need to obtain consent as far as possible. The project has to be bui…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 55, 59 and 60 together. Since the deposit-return scheme, DRS, went live on 1 February, more than 100 million containers have been returned and €18 million has been refunded to consumers in deposits. Daily return rates are growing all the time, regularly exceeding 2 million containers. It reached 3 million on Sunday. A four-month transition period is in place to allow for the selling-off of existing non-DRS stock and also to focus on supporting consumers and retailers through the cri…