Food waste will be used to heat homes under €77m climate project

HYBRID trains and the rollout of fast chargers for electric cars are among the flagship projects to be delivered using a €77m award from the Climate Action Fund.

District heating systems to power thousands of homes and businesses and more efficient public lighting are also planned.

Seven projects allocated funding will help reduce emissions by at least 200,000 tonnes a year, with Exchequer money helping to leverage another €220m from private and other public sources.

The €500m fund forms part of the National Development Plan with nearly 100 applications for funding received. It is designed to offer innovative solutions to tackling emissions, utilising a levy paid on petroleum products.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the projects would make a real difference to emissions, and that Ireland had to play its part.

But he admitted that the State’s contribution would be a “drop in the ocean” on a global scale, and action was needed to encourage big emitters such as the US, China and Russia to follow suit. “I’m committed to it personally as Taoiseach,” he said. “This announcement today is one small part of it.

“We know that the challenge presented by climate change requires more than investment. The transition to a low carbon world will require profound changes in how we live our lives and that will only be possible with the buy-in of communities and individuals.

“The projects being announced today have the potential to make a real difference in the area of climate action and, most importantly,

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