Minister Darragh O’Brien TD; Energy transition a ‘momentous opportunity’

Energy plays a central part in Ireland’s economy and society ensuring that we can light, heat, move, and power our industries and lifestyles. The transition to renewable energy is central to achieving our ambitious climate goals. Key elements of our energy policy are centred around reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing renewable energy generation, improving energy efficiency, and ensuring energy security. Guiding our energy policy is the new Programme for Government 2025 – Securing Ireland’s Future – which firmly states our ambition to champion the energy transition and embrace a decarbonised and renewable energy system that is more secure, sustainable, and affordable for all.

The new Programme for Government commits to taking decisive action to radically reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and to achieve a 51 per cent reduction in emissions from 2018 to 2030, and to achieving net zero emissions no later than 2050. Furthermore, the Programme reaffirms our commitment to achieving 80 per cent of Ireland’s electricity generation from renewable sources by 2030.

The energy transition of today represents a momentous opportunity for us all, to help make our economy and industries more efficient and competitive, to open new opportunities for businesses, and to improve our society, lifestyles, and the comfort of our homes.

Ireland’s ambition is to be an international leader in the energy transition and the development and generation of high-quality renewable energy. We are among world leaders, both for installed wind capacity per capita and for the integration of variable renewable electricity onto the grid. Solar PV is also continuing to rapidly transform our energy system.

We are building on our success in wind energy and continue to significantly expand the sector. The recent successful first offshore wind auction secured over 3GW of capacity, enough to power 2.5 million homes while reducing emissions. The Government has also approved terms for a second auction in the South Coast Designated Maritime Area Plan (SC-DMAP), demonstrating its commitment to renewable offshore energy.

Solar energy is highly complementary to wind generation and increased solar capacity will help us to generate clean electricity all year round. It is the fastest growing renewable electricity source in the country and is rapidly transforming Ireland’s energy system.

Added to wind and solar, emerging renewable sectors such as district heating, biomethane, hydrogen, geothermal, and advanced energy storage solutions will provide further opportunities as our energy mix develops.

District heating is a proven technology that can play a key role in improving energy efficiency and reducing emissions in the heat sector. It also offers a unique opportunity to decarbonise and modernise heating for public and heritage buildings that are not suited to deep retrofit.

Government has agreed to an ambitious target to scale up indigenous produced biomethane to 5.7TWh per annum by 2030. The National Biomethane Strategy outlines the necessary policy and regulatory measures to meet this target and provides a roadmap to developing a biomethane industry of scale in Ireland.

Ireland is committed to achieving net zero emissions for all buildings by 2050, aligning with the ambitious targets set by the Energy Efficiency Directive and the Energy Performance in Buildings Directive. My department is developing Ireland’s national building renovation plan to drive the renovation of the national stock of residential and non-residential buildings, both public and private, into a highly energy-efficient and decarbonised building stock by 2050, with the objective to transform existing buildings into zero-emission buildings.

The above are just some examples of how the Government and indeed my department are actively championing the energy transition. Although decarbonising our energy system and embracing the energy transition is a complex and challenging task, it is an achievable goal. It is a goal that will provide opportunities, and will require innovation, and collaboration across the public and private sectors, across our society, communities and economy.

I look forward to collaborating with you to achieve this goal and transition our energy system to one that is more secure, sustainable, and affordable for all.

Minister for the Climate, Environment and Energy, Darragh O’Brien TD