Climate Action Plan 2024 – A Focus on Electricity
Eoin Cassidy of Mason Hayes & Curran outlines how Government policy is aiming to accelerate the delivery of utility-scale wind and solar energy
The Irish Government’s Climate Action Plan (CAP) serves as a blueprint for the nation’s journey towards achieving its climate targets. It is rooted in commitments made under the Paris Agreement and the European Green Deal, which aims to achieve a 51% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 relative to 2018 levels, and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
The latest plan was published in December 2023 and remains subject to a public consultation that will remain open until 5 April. The 2024 edition has taken a new approach to the annex of actions required. This is now limited to new, high-impact actions, while the full roadmap of actions to support delivery of climate targets remains in the CAP itself.
Where are we now?
The electricity sector was responsible for 14.4% of Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2022, showing a slight decline due to an increase in renewable energy generation. Despite this progress, the sector is required to drastically enhance its decarbonisation efforts to meet stringent carbon budgets. The challenge is significant, necessitating a decarbonisation rate of 17.3% per annum from 2023 to 2025. This is a substantial increase from the 1.4% annual rate observed in previous years.
The Environmental Protection Agency has projected that if all the measures in CAP 2024 and the ‘yet unallocated emissions savings’ are accounted for, the projected total emissions reduction for all sectors by 2030 will be 42%. This represents a 9 percentage point shortfall of the EU’s 2030 reduction target of 51% against 2018 levels. This gap underscores the critical need for enhanced measures and innovative strategies to ensure Ireland meets its climate commitments.
What is planned?
CAP 2024 has retained the ambitious targets for renewable energy, aiming for a 50% renewable energy sector share by 2025 and 80% by 2030. However, the Government has acknowledged the pivotal role of renewable sources in the nation’s decarbonisation efforts in aiming to accelerate the delivery of utility-scale onshore wind, offshore wind, and solar through a competitive framework and policy measures. Targeted measures include:
Streamlining consenting and policy:
The Government has targeted revising existing policies and guidelines to streamline the consenting process and facilitate smoother approvals. Updates to the National Planning Framework and various energy and development guidelines are scheduled.
Offshore Renewable Energy Roadmap:
This strategic document, to be published in Q2 2024, will outline the pathways necessary for the effective deployment of offshore renewable technologies, and establish a clear direction for offshore energy development.
Innovation in renewable energy:
The plan for an offshore renewable energy innovation park is set to be finalised by Q4 2024. This initiative aims to explore infrastructure needs, operational models, and grid connection options. It will pave the way for advanced renewable energy projects and technologies. In addition, 2024 will see the development of a private wire policy framework and hybrid connection roadmaps.
Hydrogen strategy and low carbon flexibility:
Aligning with the National Hydrogen Strategy, CAP 2024 emphasises increasing hydrogen production capabilities, particularly green hydrogen from offshore wind. This approach seeks to leverage Ireland’s renewable energy resources to address unallocated emissions savings. The plan also explores low carbon flexibility options, including the deployment of long-duration energy storage and carbon capture technologies.
Government’s strategic focus
CAP 2024 builds on the foundation laid by previous versions of the plan, with a continued emphasis on the rapid deployment of renewable energy as a key mitigation measure. By enhancing legislative frameworks and fostering innovation, Ireland seeks to close the emissions gap and meet its climate targets.
For more information and expert guidance on the implications of the Climate Action Plan, visit MHC.ie/Energy
Eoin Cassidy is a partner in the Construction, Infrastructure and Utilities team and leads the firm’s Energy sector group.