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Irish Examiner
20-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Moneypoint ends coal generation early as ESB shifts focus to renewable energy hub
Coal generation has ended earlier than expected at Moneypoint Power Station in Co Clare. After 40 years, the ESB, which operates the station, announced it has transformed the site into a renewable energy hub as coal generation came to a close. Moneypoint began its transition away from fossil fuels in 2017 with the construction of a 17MW onshore wind farm. In 2021, ESB announced a multi-billion-euro plan to transform the site into one of the country's largest renewable energy hubs, utilising its deep-water port and existing infrastructure. Phase one of this plan was completed in 2022 with a €50 million investment in Ireland's first synchronous compensator — a zero-carbon technology that allows the system to handle increasing amounts of renewable electricity. CLIMATE & SUSTAINABILITY HUB In 2023, ESB and EirGrid signed an agreement to keep Moneypoint available (to generate electricity using oil) from 2025 to 2029. The station will only be required to operate when the electricity system is short on capacity, and only under instruction from EirGrid. Oil generation is less carbon-intensive than coal, and the station is expected to run significantly less often during these four years. On Friday, Minister of State at the department of agriculture, Timmy Dooley, visited the site alongside ESB Chief Executive Paddy Hayes. Speaking about the move, Mr Dooley said: "The early end of coal generation at Moneypoint represents a significant milestone for ESB and is another important step in Ireland's energy transformation. "It is the people of the Mid-West that have made this possible and I am delighted that the site will continue to play a critical role in securing Ireland's electricity supply for a number of years to come." Mr Hayes said: "Moneypoint, the teams working here, and the communities across West Clare have been at the heart of powering Ireland's electricity system for the best part of 40 years so far – and I would like to thank all those who have played a part in that." Ireland's 2030 target under the EU's Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR) is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 42% by the end of the decade. Climate Minister Darragh O'Brien said: "Today, the next step of the station's journey is beginning as the shift from coal to oil takes place. This is not just a significant move for ESB but also for the country as a whole as Ireland powers forward to deliver the clean energy transition underpinned by a secure electricity system.
Irish Examiner
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Irish Examiner view: It's Catastrophicto be going backwards on climate targets
The figures from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are grounds for concern for anyone worried by the climate crisis. The agency says that Ireland has 'moved backwards' when it comes to our goal of reducing carbon emissions by 51% by 2030, as the latest statistics show the country is on course for a maximum reduction of 23%. That percentage makes a stark comparison with a predicted reduction of 29% made just 12 months ago. This is a terrible indictment of our performance. It is bad enough not to reach targets, which were set to help us combat the greatest existential threat which faces humanity, but to go backwards — as stated by the EPA — is catastrophic. The best that can be said about these figures is that they expose our lack of commitment and bring some reality to this situation. We may be making all the right noises and gestures, but clearly substantive progress is not being achieved: Going by these figures, the situation is getting worse. If 'lack of commitment' sounds excessive, readers should consider the contribution of environment minister Darragh O'Brien. He said the EPA figures 'are a clear signal that, while we've made real progress, we need to move faster to meet our 2030 climate targets'. It beggars belief that any politician would attempt to describe the EPA figures as a sign of progress, yet here we are. The bad news does not end there: We are also set to miss EU-mandated carbon targets for 2030 by a massive margin. That could result in fines of tens of billions of euro for failing to match the EU's Effort Sharing Regulation, which penalises member states not doing their fair share in terms of climate action. It is long past time we treated this crisis with the urgency it deserves before it is too late. However, if missing our emissions targets and owing billions in fines doesn't motivate us to act, what will? State bodies hid and deflected Earlier this week, justice minister Jim O'Callaghan apologised to the O'Farrell family in the Dáil. It was a long-awaited day of vindication for the O'Farrell family, who have spent almost 15 years fighting for justice for their son and brother Shane — who was knocked down and killed near Carrickmacross, Monaghan, in August 2011. Shane O'Farrell was struck in a hit-and-run incident by a car driven by Zigimantas Gridziuska. Lithuanian Gridziuska was a repeat criminal who had committed a series of offences while on bail. A year before the hit-and-run incident, he was given a prison sentence which he did not serve. When the O'Farrells started investigating, they found that Gridziuska appeared to be committing crimes all over Ireland with apparent impunity. In the 18 months before the hit-and-run incident, he committed approximately 30 offences, with Lucia O'Farrell, Shane's mother, saying: 'He seemed to be in every court walking in and out ... He seemed to get fines, get the benefit of the Probation Act, community service, and then he'd get full temporary release, and re-offend. He could do what he liked, bail had no legal meaning for him.' The failure of the legal system to deal with this offender is a shocking indictment of that system, but there is a lesson here which goes beyond criminals ignoring the courts. In their years fighting for Shane, the O'Farrell family were treated shamefully by the State. The family requested information from bodies as various as the Department of Justice, the Courts Service, the Prison Service, and the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, but they described their treatment as 'abusive and disrespectful ... What followed was stonewalling by State agencies who adopted deflection, evasiveness, and most importantly, a deliberate lack of completeness and transparency. We learned of Gridziuska's criminal past from our own efforts, not from the State'. It is disgraceful that State bodies would treat citizens in this manner. Those responsible for protecting their institutions rather than aiding fellow citizens should face disciplinary action for their treatment of the O'Farrell family. Unfair play It may be a week and a half away but the excitement is building for the Munster hurling final, one of the highlights of the Irish sporting summer. This year, Cork take on Limerick in the Gaelic Grounds, a mouthwatering clash expected to sell out when tickets go on sale. However, supporters are swallowing hard at the ticket prices — €50 for stand, €40 for terrace, and €10 for U16s, with €5 concession for students and OAPs. That is a €5 increase on stand, terrace, and juvenile prices from last year's final. In 2023, stand admission was €40 and terrace €30 for that year's provincial final. That means a 25% hike in ticket prices in just two years, a staggering leap in cost. Given the huge following both Cork and Limerick have, and the near-guarantee that the venue will sell out, those supporters are entitled to feel their loyalty is being penalised here. As a comparison, stand tickets for the Munster football final between Kerry and Clare this year were €20 cheaper than their hurling equivalents. If the authorities were to reconsider and even freeze prices at the 2024 level, it would be a welcome gesture and an indication that the supporters' loyalty is something to be appreciated and not exploited. Read More Irish Examiner view: Our support for the people of Liverpool
Irish Examiner
28-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Climate experts call on Government to show 'greater ambition' on reducing carbon emissions
Climate experts have called on the Government to significantly ramp up its focus on meeting Ireland's carbon-reduction targets rather than risk spending the same money on massive EU fines at the end of the decade. New figures from the Environmental Protection Agency show that, at best, Ireland is set to miss its own greenhouse emissions targets by over 50% by 2030. More worrying for the Government, the report shows the country is also set to miss its 2030 EU-mandated carbon targets by a massive margin. It could result in fines worth tens of billions of euro falling upon Ireland for its failure to match the bloc's Effort Sharing Regulation, which penalises member states that are not doing their fair share in terms of climate action. 'Why would you not spend that money now to help citizens and the economy? Why would you instead send that money to overachieving states?' said Peter Thorne, professor in climate change at Maynooth University, in light of the EPA's findings. In effect we'll be sending billions of euro to Spain. And even then, after that we'll still have to reduce our emissions. 'We've got to see greater ambition and spending from Government,' said Prof. Thorne, acknowledging that the issue 'is not just one of Government'. 'We all have to show some ambition in terms of what we can do — in how we spend our money, our time, and what kind of world we want to give to our children.' EPA director general Laura Burke said the 'lack of progress' represented by the figures 'is concerning'. 'Momentum is building for Ireland's low-carbon society, but we need to accelerate it and scale up the transition,' she said. The report brings together metrics from across society and State departments to show which sections are performing reasonably well —renewables, electricity — and those which are doing poorly. Transport, industry, and building heating systems are the three worst sectors in terms of matching their targets. With regard to agricultural emissions — which are expected to reduce by 16% — the EPA said that nevertheless agricultural targets are 'no longer viable' due to the impact of updated science underpinning those assumptions. Emissions from the land sector are projected to increase by up to 95% by 2030, predominantly due to the maturing for harvesting of Ireland's forests. Hannah Daly, professor in sustainable energy at UCC, described the failure by Ireland to match its targets as 'a staggering missed opportunity' given the scale of EU fines which may follow. She said matching our obligations requires 'more than ambition' from the Government. 'It requires leadership, vast investment, and prioritising only truly sustainable economic growth,' said Prof. Daly. 'That means rapidly phasing out fossil fuels by prioritising renewables, electrification, and energy efficiency, and shifting away from an economic model overly reliant on fossil fuels and carbon-intensive agriculture.'
Irish Examiner
27-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Ireland won't even get halfway to its carbon emissions reduction target, says EPA
Ireland has "moved backwards" in its goal of reducing its carbon emissions by 51% by 2030 with the latest statistics showing the country is now on course for a maximum reduction of 23%. That percentage, revealed today by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), compares to a predicted reduction of 29% made just 12 months ago. Professor Diarmuid Torney, director of DCU's institute for climate and society, said it is "depressing" that the scale of actions Ireland will need to take to meaningfully reduce its harmful carbon emissions will be far greater than previously thought. 'We seem to have moved backwards,' Professor Torney said, describing the latest projections as representing a 'yawning gap between what we need to do and what we've committed to do'. The report further details that Ireland is set to breach its first and second carbon budgets, which are delivered in five-year tranches, the first between 2020 and 2025 and the second between 2026 and 2030. The latter of these is set to be breached to a massive extent – between 77 and 114 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide – described by Prof. Torney as 'really bad, we are radically missing it'. Likewise, the new figures show that Ireland is set to miss its EU carbon reduction targets by a similarly wide margin, with a maximum reduction of 22% possible against the target of 42%. Missing those commitments, under the EU's climate programme known as the Effort Sharing Regulation, could see Ireland hit with punitive fines amounting to as much as €26bn, according to warnings issued in tandem last March by the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council and the Climate Change Advisory Council. The EPA said that the revised figures had been compiled using updated data from across the range of Government bodies and agencies. 'We are off track for our climate targets, and the distance to the target is increasing,' said one EPA official. Electric vehicles The 23% figure assumes that Ireland both implements the existing reduction measures it has committed to and also a series of additional measures - currently under discussion across Government and which are considered to have 'a realistic chance of implementation' - by 2030, according to the EPA. For example, the 'additional measures' assumption for the number of electric vehicles on Ireland's roads is 641,000 by 2030, versus 564,000 in the 'existing measures' projection. By contrast, the target for the number of EVs on Irish roads of such additional measures included in Ireland's 2024 climate action plan was 945,000 vehicles in the same timeframe. The most recent figure for the number of EVs on the country's roads is just 116,683 at the end of 2024, itself a slight drop on the 2023 figure. Asked if the projected figures for EVs, which were received by the Department of Transport, were realistic, and if they had been evaluated or not, the EPA said that 'yes, the figures are interrogated'. 'But ultimately, these figures come from Government departments. This is what they see as achievable,' they said. Government response Environment Minister Darragh O'Brien said the latest projections from the EPA "are a clear signal that, while we've made real progress, we need to move faster to meet our 2030 climate targets". "The Government is fully aware of the scale of the climate challenge and the importance for Ireland to be a leader in accelerating climate action. He said the EPA projections are not "absolute forecasts" but reflect delivery to date. "The first Climate Action Plan of this Government was delivered last month," he said. "Cross-departmental taskforces are in place. Governance arrangements have been strengthened, with the first meeting of the new Climate Action Programme Board held last week, involving senior officials from all the main sectors – including energy, transport and agriculture. Its remit is clear: to focus on accelerated delivery of the actions needed to close the emissions gap." Read More John Gibbons: East Cork solar farm row shows politicians must get off the fence on renewables
Irish Times
24-04-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Ireland risks up to €26 billion in penalties by missing EU climate targets – what's at stake?
The recent joint report from the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council and the Climate Change Advisory Council made for sobering reading. Published in March, A Colossal Missed Opportunity – Ireland's Climate Action and the Potential Costs of Missing Targets, looked at the possible costs Ireland faces if it fails to meet its agreed EU climate commitments. These require domestic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, an increasing share of renewable energy, and improved energy efficiency. The report estimates that Ireland could potentially have to pay out between €8 billion and €26 billion to its EU partners if it does not step up climate action swiftly. If the Government implements the additional measures in its own Climate Action Plan by 2030, it could reduce the amount due to between €3 billion and €12 billion – better but still enormous. At issue are key pieces of EU legislation, including the Effort Sharing Regulation, which Ireland and other European countries agreed to adopt in 2018. It covers emissions from domestic transport, buildings, small industry, waste, and agriculture. Ireland is already near the bottom of the league when it comes to emissions reductions covered by this regulation. READ MORE Two other pieces of legislation could pose smaller but still significant costs. These cover land use and forestry, and the share of energy coming from renewable sources. The targets are all part of the EU's effort to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Failing to meet these commitments could result in substantial costs. For starters, Ireland would need to purchase allocations from other member states that had overperformed against their annual emission allocations. This could be both expensive and difficult as few member states are likely to overperform and just eight are likely to have allocations to sell. Furthermore, the shortfalls expected for three large member states – Germany, Italy, and France – could be substantial. Indeed, the report cautions that Germany's expected shortfall is so great as to mean that it might require more than half of the emissions allocations likely to be available for purchase. This could result in a bidding war which would leave Ireland with limited or no access to the allocations necessary to, in effect, purchase its compliance. If Ireland somehow manages to obtain emissions allocations, it will then have to spend billions of euro to purchase them. Under land use regulations, Ireland has agreed to use nature-based solutions and practices to improve land and forestry management in order to reduce and offset emissions. Ireland looks set to fall short of its agreed commitments under this regulation too. To comply, Ireland will need to purchase further emissions allowances, known as Land Removal Units, again at a cost of billions of euros. And that's on top of any costs arising from missing the targets under the EU's Renewable Energy Directive, which commits us to achieving a 43 per cent share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption by 2030, alongside additional sub-targets for specific sectors such as heating, cooling and transport. Knuckle down The risks inherent in missing our regulatory targets are stark but it's not too late to mitigate them. According to the report's authors, Ireland could still just 'knuckle down' and meet its targets. That would require significant investments and policy changes but would also mean improving citizens' lives here rather than transferring large sums to our European neighbours which would be required were we to buy compliance, it points out. The fact that emissions allowances might be thin on the ground due to larger states like Italy, Germany and France having to buy them to make up for their own shortcomings is a cause for hope for some. There is a belief in some quarters that if a number of influential member states miss their targets, a reprieve will be given. That is wishful thinking, not just given the law as it currently stands but also because there are vested interests in ensuring the law is strictly adhered to. Not every country is in the same boat, after all. Both Spain and Portugal, for example, are likely to exceed their targets, which would allow them to sell surplus allowances to others, generating valuable revenues for them. But even when lumped in with other laggards, Ireland's position as a small country makes it vulnerable. The financial burden of the Effort Sharing Regulation, for example, is up to five times greater here than for larger countries such as Germany, France or Italy, when looked at as a share of their economies. It's why stepping up efforts on climate action now and meeting our targets makes the most sense, not least because it would avoid the risk of Ireland getting into a cycle of deepening emissions reductions requirements, and the need for sudden policy shifts. Recent events have already highlighted how climate action can benefit people. Ireland's reliance on imported fossil fuels left it exposed to geopolitical disruptions and price rises during the cost-of-living crisis, for example, while, more recently, Storm Éowyn showed the need for more secure and stable energy infrastructure. Then there is the cost, which would represent a massive transfer of wealth to Ireland's neighbours. And remember, having transferred these amounts, Ireland would still be obliged to meet its commitments. By way of illustration, for €12 billion spent now – just one-tenth of the capital spending planned out to 2030 – the Government could, the report suggests, reduce the costs of buying 700,000 new electric cars to less than €15,000 per vehicle, allow the Government to ramp up charging infrastructure and cover the estimated additional costs of upgrading Ireland's energy grid, as well as support forestry and the rewetting of peatlands. Not taking actions such as these is the 'colossal missed opportunity' to reduce emissions and deliver significant improvements in Irish society, it says. Swifter action would do more than just avoid hefty payments and meet Ireland's agreed commitments. It would transform Ireland to a healthier, more sustainable, and more energy-secure society, the report contends. Eddie Casey, chief economist, Irish Fiscal Advisory Council 'It is very serious, but we can get back on track,' says Eddie Casey, chief economist with the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council, who suggests that just a few big policy changes could take us a long way, including ramping up the electrification of the State and upgrading the energy grid to ensure more renewable energy can be brought online. Supporting the rollout of the national fleet could help too. Any move that would reduce the cost of EVs will help break down the cost barriers that impede many purchasers. Moves to make forestry more attractive will pay dividends and restoration of bog lands could help too, he adds. 'Rewetting peatlands that were historically drained turns them from being carbon emitters into carbon sinks, and doesn't cost a lot of money to do,' he points out. Such measures won't just provide environmental benefits, they will allow the Government to focus on what can be done with money that would otherwise have to be spent on compliance and penalties. 'But there is no room for complacency,' he says.
