138. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the measures he is taking to reduce the price of energy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14765/26]
Sentiment score: 0.17
Every time I raise this, I am astounded by the lack of progress on it. We have the highest energy prices in Europe, according to Eurostat. The national energy affordability task force has only met three times since its inception. The only thing it has produced is an interim report. No steps seem to have been taken to reform the Irish energy market and to hold energy companies to account, measures we have been calling on for years. What is the Minister going to do to reduce the price of energy and will he make a statement on it?
Sentiment score: 0.26
The problem with some of the schemes that have been introduced is that they are not working. Some of them are deeply regressive and inequitable. Most low to middle income households have significant barriers if they have any hope of reaching a B2 standard. What about the solid fuel homes which are mostly rural and are mostly home to elderly people? They are punished by the Government rather than being helped, through hikes in the carbon tax, which are now supported by the Healy-Rae brothers, where there is no accessible, affordable alternative. The same is true for those who rely on home heating oil. On the retrofit loan scheme the Minister mentioned, fewer than 2,000 households have availed of these loans since the scheme started. When we tried to put questions about how far away we are from the 2030 target, I was told it was not the Minister's responsibility. Whose responsibility is it? There is something wrong when the International Energy Agency has called into question the huge gap between retail and wholesale costs. What is the Minister doing to reform the energy market? It costs about three times more to buy energy here than it does to produce it. The ESRI is also saying prices are way above what they were on the eve of the election.
Sentiment score: 0.07
The last time I raised this issue the Minister said he would look at network charges. What has he done since then to restructure them to make sure that data centres, for example, pay their fair share and take the pressure off households? In the next few months there will be a significant opportunity to bring about fundamental reforms to the energy market that could help households. A meeting is taking place in March. Ireland will hold the Presidency from July. This has to be the Minister's priority. The price of electricity is coupled with the wholesale price of gas due to the marginal pricing system. We have said for years that it has to be reformed. Will the Minister take steps to deal with that? Will he give the regulator the power to tackle price gouging? Is he holding it to account? Will he restructure network charges to ensure that data centres pay their fair share? Will he guarantee that the costs proposed for LNG and data centres are not passed on to households in the legislation for the strategic gas reserve and that relating to private wires?
Sentiment score: 0.14
139. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he will consider bringing forward a prioritisation framework for grid connections; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14766/26]
Sentiment score: 0.10
This question has come up in the past. Will the Minister consider bringing forward a prioritisation framework for grid connections, particularly as we have a crisis in the context of housing and the cost of living? We have all heard about the problems with the MetroLink, for example, and the energy that will be needed for it. There is a reckless attitude towards data centre expansion. Even the Minister's officials agree on that. The Minister knows that he needs to bring forward legislation to deal with the prioritisation framework. Will he bring it forward?
Sentiment score: -0.12
A grids package was announced on 10 December. It gives the Government the green light to move away from the first-come, first-served model that gives rise to rampant data centre expansion that has displaced the delivery of housing and transport and led to the hiking up of energy prices for households. The Commission stated, "In areas with long waiting times for grid connection, the first-come, first-served principle should be abandoned". We will bring forward legislation on that in the coming months. The current model is broken. The Minister's officials will agree with that. The Secretary General of the Department has said that there are difficult choices to make between housing and AI. Instead of prioritising the corporate bottom line, I want the Minister to prioritise ordinary people who are going through a cost-of-living crisis. We have seen data centres expand to the point where they account for one third of energy demand. Dealing with this matter is within the Minister's gift. He cannot hide behind EU rules and regulations. Will he agree to support our legislation to put that prioritisation framework in place when it comes through?
Sentiment score: 0.07
The Minister recently met the ESB and EirGrid to discuss house connections. There was a story in The Irish Times about that matter over the Christmas period. The Minister knows that under the current regulation, it is first-come, first-served model. He also knows that for this to change, he must empower the regulator by means of new legislation. He knows in light of the grids package and the new guidance for connections, there is nothing standing in his way in this regard. In the interview, which was published on 30 December, there was no indication that the Minister had any intention of bringing legislation forward. What took place in the meetings with EirGrid regarding connections? The Minister knows well that the ESB and EirGrid cannot do anything until the regulation is changed. Will he bring forward legislation in order for this to happen?
Sentiment score: 0.00
141. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment in relation to private wires, the charging methodology that will be implemented; and the safeguards that will he introduce to ensure that all of the costs of providing the original grid connection will be recovered by the ESB Networks, and that these costs are not passed on to other customers. [14767/26]
Sentiment score: 0.27
This question relates to private wires. Will the Minister outline the new methodology that will be implemented? Will there be safeguards to ensure that all of the costs of providing original grid connections will be recovered by ESB Networks? Will action be taken to ensure that these costs will not be passed on to customers? Under current proposals, any user taking all their energy capacity from a private wire will not be required to pay network charges to the system operator despite relying on the public grid for backup. We have been speaking about the energy costs and the price of the same. Will the Minister guarantee that households will not incur more costs?
Sentiment score: 0.22
We will be discussing that tomorrow. The concern of many members of the committee is that the proposals will exacerbate the regressive and inequitable way that network costs are currently distributed. According to Eurostat, Irish households have the highest electricity bills in Europe. As a result of the proposals being brought forward, households could be landed with a rake of new charges on their bills in addition to what they already pay. The Minister mentioned about PR6 in reply to earlier questions. There is a new levy to fund LNG from increasing network charges on bills. Energy users and consumers are being hit from pillar to post with a host of new charges. They do not want to be subsidising the network charges relating to data centres, and we do not want to be obliged to do either. What will the situation be when it comes to mandating data centres that are proposing to have renewable energy when they are putting their own private wires in?
Sentiment score: -0.08
Is the Minister going to ensure that the North-South interconnector will be underground? That is the fundamental issue for people who live in Border communities. On the basis of what he said, is the Minister guaranteeing that there will be no new costs passed on to consumers as a result of the private wires legislation? Consumers cannot afford any new costs. There is a concern to the effect that the private wires legislation will undermine climate obligations by diverting energy. We have seen in the past few years the increase from wind and the new energy coming onto the system, but it is all being gobbled up by the data centres and other large energy users. A fundamental concern is that this will continue despite all the efforts the Government and people are making in the context of onshore and offshore energy. One Minister even admitted that the Government has been sitting on its hands and navel gazing when it comes to offshore wind. We do not want that to happen.
Sentiment score: 0.11