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RTÉ News
7 days ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
€2bn retrofitting committment under review, department says
A commitment given by the last government to spend €2bn retrofitting residential homes by the year 2030 is now under review by current Minister for Environment and Energy Darragh O'Brien. A departmental spokesperson told RTÉ News that following the publication of the revised National Development Plan on Tuesday, allocations to specific programme areas are "still being finalised". Within a year of the Green Party going into Coalition with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in 2020, a new National Development Plan was published which had a distinct environmental and climate action focus. There was increased funding of residential retrofits on the basis that it insulates homes and reduces the use of fossil fuels. That Coalition's National Development Plan promised to increase the retrofit budget from €202m in the year 2022 to €2bn by the year 2030. This week, the new Coalition published a revised National Development Plan which boosts NDP funding by €30bn over the next five years. However, the document does not identify what projects will be funded or by how much. Asked if the retrofit budget will be €2bn by the year 2030, a Department of Energy spokesperson could only say yesterday that individual budget lines are "still being finalised", but added that a record €550m has been allocated to the sector this year. The Green Party's Spokesperson on Energy Ossian Smyth has warned that any deviation from the old 2030 targets would be bad for the public and further endanger Ireland's chances of reaching its carbon reduction targets. A spokesperson of the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment said: "The Programme for Government affirmed the Government's commitment to making Ireland's buildings more sustainable and energy-efficient, reducing reliance on fossil fuels, and lowering energy costs for households. "By promoting retrofitting, renewable heating, and solar energy, we aim to make homes warmer, cheaper to heat, and less reliant on fossil fuels. "We are delivering at scale and pace on our National Retrofit Plan, with €421m of capital expenditure and almost 54,000 home energy upgrades completed last year in 2024. "This year, in 2025, a record capital budget of over €550m has been allocated to the SEAI residential and community energy upgrade schemes, including the Solar PV Scheme. "This allocation will support over 64,500 home energy upgrades to make homes warmer, healthier and more comfortable, with lower emissions and lower bills. "More broadly, the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment welcomes the substantial of €5.64bn allocation under the National Development Plan review, in addition to a landmark €3.5bn investment in Ireland's electricity grid infrastructure. "Thereafter, allocations of monies to specific programme areas within the department are still being finalised. Programme allocations will be announced in due course. "The Government is committed to the continued delivery of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) residential and community energy upgrade schemes, including delivering more B2 home energy upgrades; revising and improving the provision of grants and financing models for homeowners who wish to retrofit, enhancing energy efficiency and reducing costs; as well as the supporting group retrofitting projects and area-based approaches to retrofitting. "On our National Retrofit Plan, we continue to build on the progress achieved in recent years. Since 2019 and to mid-year 2025, there has been a record level of more than €1.4 billion invested in SEAI schemes to support over 213,000 home energy upgrades, including over 69,000 B2s and almost 28,000 fully-funded upgrades for households at risk of energy poverty under the Warmer Homes Scheme."
Irish Post
15-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Post
Ireland and the UK extend agreement to cooperate on energy transition goals
IRELAND and the UK have confirmed they will extend an existing agreement supporting greater cooperation between them on shared energy transition goals. In 2023 both nations signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation in the Energy Transition, Offshore Renewables and Electricity Interconnection. The move facilitated increased cooperation between them on a number of specific areas within their goals to transition to renewable energy sources. Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment Darragh O'Brien and British Climate Minister Kerry McCarthy sign an extension on their memorandum of understanding extended on energy cooperation This week Ireland's Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment Darragh O'Brien and British Climate Minister Kerry McCarthy, from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, signed an extension to the MOU. The move will allow for further cooperation and information sharing between them on issues such as the decarbonisation of industries and buildings and the development of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen value chains. 'The UK is one of our most important energy partners and there is already good cooperation on energy between both countries,' Minister O'Brien said. 'Since the signing of our energy agreement with the UK in 2023, we have strengthened our energy partnerships on critical areas within the energy transition,' he explained. 'I am particularly delighted that we will now bring our cooperation to additional areas of importance.' He added: "Renewed collaboration with our UK neighbours takes place against the backdrop of a changing and uncertain world. 'Energy markets are currently operating in an increasingly complex world as they continue to grapple with the Russia-Ukraine war, and the crisis in the Middle East, and persistent high inflation. 'This agreement also comes amid a series of recent climate warnings, with the latest warning noting how western Europe experienced its hottest June on record. 'The decarbonisation of our energy systems and the move away from fossil fuels has never been more important." Minister McCarthy said their agreement 'demonstrates the continued strength of our relationship on energy and climate'. "As one of our closest neighbours and allies, Ireland shares common goals with the UK on the need to secure clean, homegrown energy and to end our reliance on unstable fossil fuel markets,' she added. 'We are delighted to stand with Ireland as a climate leader, to protect future generations and deliver growth and energy security for the British and Irish people." After signing the agreement, the ministers held a meeting in Dublin to discuss their 'energy-related ambitions, with energy affordability one of the items top of their discussion agenda', Minister O'Brien's office confirmed. See More: Energy Transition, Ireland, Memorandum Of Understanding, UK
Irish Independent
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Impact of coastal erosion on Wexford beaches raised in the Dáil – ‘Courtown and Kilmichael are in serious danger'
Coastal erosion in Courtown beach in Gorey has had a significant effect with lifeguards moving northwards to cater for the crowd concentrations. 'Up to 25 per cent of Ireland's coastline is facing the serious problem of coastal erosion and the proportion in counties Wicklow and Wexford is higher. The Taoiseach will be aware that I represent an area that stretches from Brittas Bay to Morriscastle. We have some of the finest beaches in the country, but many of them, most notably Courtown and Kilmichael, are in serious danger,' he explained. "We need to look at addressing this from a climate point of view and at beach replenishment. There is the threat to adjoining lands and infrastructure, nesting areas and coastal biodiversity. We can learn from other countries such as the Netherlands.' Beach replenishment is a common practice in the Netherlands, and involves adding sand to the beaches and the seabed to counteract erosion. A popular method is the sand motor, which involves depositing a large amount of sand offshore, allowing natural forces like waves, wind, and currents to redistribute the sand over time. 'Of concern to me as well is that the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment's own statistics show that, between 2017 and 2024, the number of homes at risk in our coastal areas grew from 1,445 to 2,279. I ask that this issue be a priority,' he added. Taoiseach Micheál Martin agreed that the situation was an important issue, following on after his attendance at the UN Ocean Summit in France recently. "Ireland is increasingly making a significant contribution to the international debate on the oceans. Regarding coastal erosion, I invite the Deputy to make a submission to the Minister for public expenditure.' He highlighted the climate change crisis and how the erosion of coasts will have a domino affect on food production if not addressed promptly. "Climate change is here and now; it is not something that is going to come in ten years' time. It is affecting flooding. It is eroding coastlines. It is putting homes in danger. It is affecting food production patterns and so on. I believe that, in the next national development plan, there has to be ring-fenced funding for the cost of climate change to enable us to adapt to protect,' he said.
Agriland
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Agriland
Minister: ‘Building resilience to impact of climate change is crucial'
The Minister of State at the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, Alan Dillon has said that the government is committed to developing climate adaptation measures to manage the impact of extreme weather events. Speaking in the Dáil yesterday (June 10), Fine Gael TD, Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister of State his views on the Environment Protection Agency's (EPA) risk assessment report. Minister of State Dillon noted that the effects of climate change can already be seen through the impact of storms, including Babet, Darragh and, most recently, Éowyn. He said: 'Attribution studies inform us that climate change is adding significantly to the strength of these extreme weather events. Adapting to the new reality and building resilience to the impact of climate change is critical. 'We recognise the need to support communities, businesses and ecosystems as climate risks continue to rise,' the minister added. Deputy Ó Muirí said that there is a risk of disruption and damage to energy transmission and distribution infrastructure due to extreme wind. The TD said that there is a similar risk to communications, which he said happened during Storm Éowyn. He said: 'To be fair, the ESB was a lot faster than the telecommunications providers in their response and that is something that must be looked at. 'There is also risk of disruption, damage and loss of transport infrastructure due to sea level rises and coastal flooding, as well as risk of damage and loss of buildings due to sea level rise, coastal erosion and coastal flooding,' Deputy Ó Muirí added. Climate change Minister of State Dillon highlighted that the EPA report draws on 'international best practices' from the UK, New Zealand, and the EU. He said that this highlights complex risks, which impact across the energy system and forestry. The minister said: 'Through the framework and the 13 different adaptation plans that will be finalised this year, we will have plans that can deliver real world actions while also putting strategies in place to protect communities, infrastructure and the economy. 'They will be led out through various departments and through local authority-led actions,' Minister of State Dillon added.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Advocates push for more regulation of product linked to local firefighter's death
ANNAPOLIS — The widow of Frederick County Battalion Chief Joshua Laird and elected officials from Frederick County are continuing their push for stronger regulations on a common building material linked to the local firefighter's death in the line of duty. Corrugated stainless steel tubing (CSST) is a thin flexible piping material that is used to carry fuel gases such as liquid petroleum and propane through residences and commercial buildings. When lightning strikes a building containing CSST, electricity can sometimes flow between the material and nearby metal objects, creating sparks or 'arcing.' This can lead to perforations in the tubing that allow gas to escape, adding fuel to a potential fire. When it comes to fire protection, some kinds of CSST are safer than others. A 2022 Maryland law named for Joshua Laird and Nathan Flynn — another firefighter from Howard County who died fighting a CSST-related fire — required the use of arc-resistant CSST in the construction of a new gas piping system, the replacement of an existing gas line or a renovation of more than half a property. With arc-resistant CSST, the inner layer of tubing is covered with a conductive jacket that can help diffuse the energy generated by a lightning strike, making failures less likely. State Sen. Karen Lewis Young (D-Frederick) told the Senate committee on Education, Energy and the Environment during a hearing on Thursday that the minimum standard for arc-resistant CSST is the ability to withstand 4.5 coulombs of electrical arcing charge. However, Lewis Young said, the average lightning strike is between 15 and 24 coulombs. 'This means that even arc-resistant CSST is highly vulnerable to malfunction and higher safety standards are needed,' she said. New legislation SB175, sponsored by Lewis Young and Sen. Benjamin Brooks (D-Baltimore County), would prohibit the sale, transfer or distribution of CSST that has not been proven through testing to withstand at least 36 coulombs of electrical arcing. It would also require the governing body of every Maryland county and Baltimore city to collect records of CSST installations showing that the materials used in each one meet the 36-coulomb requirement. A person who violates the law could be fined up to $1,000. The 36-coulomb requirement is based on the LC1027 testing criteria approved in 2011 by the International Code Council, an organization that develops model codes and standards for use by the building trades. Earlier versions of the bill, including two cross-filed bills that did not advance out of committee during the 2024 Maryland General Assembly session, specifically referenced the LC1027 testing criteria. The reference to the LC1027 testing criteria was removed from SB175 after some expressed concerns that only certain manufacturers of CSST would be able to meet it. Frederick County Executive Jessica Fitzwater in 2024 and 2025 listed new safety standards for CSST among her priorities for the state legislature. 'As local and state government, we truly have a responsibility to our constituents — including our first responders — to adopt laws and policies that ensure the safety of our communities,' Fitzwater said during the hearing on Thursday. Sara Laird, the widow of Joshua Laird, said on Thursday that the reason there have not been more CSST-related fatalities in Maryland is not because of a lack of opportunity, but because of the work that first responders like her late husband do in fighting fires. 'My daughters and I will carry this loss with us forever,' Sara Laird said. 'My oldest will graduate from high school in a few months with a picture of her dad hanging from her cap. My youngest will get her [learner's] permit next month, but it will be [Frederick County Fire Chief Tom Coe] and her father's coworkers that are teaching her how to drive.' Laird said that 'almost every industry' in the United States has had to evolve to meet new safety standards and implored state lawmakers on Thursday to compel CSST manufacturers to 'do better' through legislation. Howard County Fire and Rescue Capt. Craig Matthews said he helped investigate the line-of-duty deaths of both Flynn and Joshua Laird. He said he has personally seen instances of even arc-resistant CSST failing and leading to fires. Matthews stressed how difficult it is to walk a firefighter's widow through the scene of a house fire where her husband died, 'all because of a faulty product.' 'I don't want to do this again,' he said. Industry pushback and possible amendments Several representatives of CSST manufacturers spoke in opposition to the bill on Thursday, arguing that the 36-coulomb requirement it promotes is unnecessary and out-of-step with the industry's consensus standards. Lisa Reiheld, an International Code Council staffer who focuses on the plumbing, mechanical and fuel gas codes, urged the Senate committee on Thursday to 'trust the process that we have in place.' Reiheld said the International Fuel Gas Code, from which the 4.5-coulomb requirement is derived, is updated every three years. She said the International Code Council is currently in the process of amending the International Fuel Gas Code, but could not answer a question from Sen. Katie Fry Hester (D-Howard and Montgomery) about whether any testing is being done to verify that the current safety standards for CSST are sufficient. Michael Fleming, the chief plumbing inspector for Frederick County, said that even if the updated International Fuel Gas Code includes heightened safety standards for CSST, the state of Maryland would not adopt the updated code until 2033 'at the earliest.' 'During that time, this unsafe product will continue to be available for purchase by consumers, putting lives at risk,' Fleming said. Jonathan Sargeant, the manager of codes and standards for the CSST manufacturer OmegaFlex, said the current 4.5-coulomb requirement is 'based on rigorous lightning testing and forensic analysis of perforated CSST.' 'Without a test procedure, the 36-coulomb number is meaningless,' he said. William Castelli, speaking on behalf of Ward Manufacturing, said that players in the industry are 'constantly evolving their products, making them safer.' Instead of adopting the 36-coulomb requirement, Castelli argued, Maryland should pursue an outright ban on non-arc-resistant CSST, which some manufacturers have already begun to phase out on their own. The 2022 Flynn and Laird Act stopped short of banning the sale, distribution and transfer of non-arc-resistant CSST. It also did not include any penalties for people who use the material improperly. In an interview after the bill hearing on Thursday, Lewis Young agreed that the loophole in the 2022 law should be closed and said there was room for compromise on the precise number of coulombs CSST sold, transferred and distributed in Maryland should be required to withstand. She floated the idea of reducing the requirement to 24 coulombs — the upper end of the average charge delivered by a lightning strike and 'a heck of a lot better' than the industry standard of 4.5 coulombs. The Senate committee on Education, Energy and the Environment has yet to vote on SB175. If the bill gets a favorable report from the committee, it would advance to the Senate floor for a second reading followed by a final vote. A cross-filed bill sponsored by Del. Dana Stein, HB222, has also yet to make it out of committee. Stein was also a sponsor of the 2024 version of the bill and of the 2022 Flynn and Laird Act. Lewis Young was optimistic on Thursday about the Senate committee's appetite for heightened safety standards on CSST and said it was still early enough in the legislative session to make progress on the issue. 'We need to find a way to have the product actually meet the threat,' she said.
