Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

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 decrease in energy-related emissions. We had a 7% annual reduction last year and a 21% decrease 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 overseas interconnection.

Under our climate action plan update, Ireland is targeting to reach 80% of electricity demand from renewable sources by 2030. We have emissions reductions driven down through onshore wind, onshore solar and 5 GW of offshore wind. That is very ambitious. To reach 80% of our electricity demand coming from renewable sources by 2030 and to have a clear plan to reach that is certainly ambitious. Acceleration of the deployment of renewable energy this decade, especially onshore wind and solar, is now fundamental to meeting our sectoral climate targets. The main issues we have faced are planning barriers and delays relating to planning difficulties. That is why the Government is bringing in its new Planning and Development Bill, which will be enacted this summer.

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