SEAI Says Budget 2018 Shows New Urgency to Deliver a Cleaner Future
The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has welcomed the increased funding allocated to it in Budget 2018, which it says highlights Ireland’s commitment to invest in energy efficiency, deliver greater change at community level, and to further decarbonise our energy system.
Key announcements included:
- Energy efficiency programmes targeted at reducing CO2 emissions from the built environment will be expanded significantly through additional investment of €35m in the residential, commercial and public sectors
- Funding of €7m will facilitate the rollout of the new Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme
- Funding of €10m was secured to incentivise the use of electric vehicles.
Jim Gannon, CEO of SEAI, said: “SEAI recently published detailed energy projections for 2020, following our delivery of the high level projections which led to our national climate forecasts earlier in the year. These highlight the very significant challenges Ireland face as we attempt to close the gap to our binding targets and avoid punitive fines. Budget 2018 demonstrates the government’s commitment to addressing these challenges.
“As Ireland’s national energy authority, we have a proven track record of investing in and delivering appropriate, effective and sustainable solutions to help Ireland’s transition to a clean energy future. Over the coming years we will increasingly seek to engage private sector finance in decarbonising the economy, alongside the development of more cost effective interventions on behalf of the State. To achieve this, we will continue to work with government, businesses, communities and the broader energy industry to create an energy system that is economically, environmentally and socially sustainable.”
