Climate Change Strategy Up in Smoke as ESB sticks to

Thursday April 10, 2003 14:49

by Graham Caswell - Green Party

Press Release

The Green Party has claimed that the Government must immediately rewrite their Climate Change strategy following the decision by the ESB to maintain Moneypoint as a coal fired power station.

Green Party Energy spokesperson, Eamon Ryan TD, said today, "Irish greenhouse gas emissions are soaring way beyond our agreed Kyoto limits. As a result we face massive financial penalties if we do not change our ways. Five million tonnes of CO2 is emitted from Moneypoint power station each year. The Government's overall climate change strategy required a reduction of 13 million tones of CO2 from current usage. A key element of the Government's strategy was based on the ESB switching to gas at Moneypoint. This was a cornerstone of the Government's climate change strategy.

"The ESB's decision to stick with coal can be understood on the basis of security of fuel supply considerations. Yet most new power stations are fueled by gas which have lower CO2 emissions. The problem with gas is that it is
likely to experience volatile price fluctuations as the fuel economy comes to an end. We will also find ourselves at the end of a long and fragile gas pipeline from Siberia.

"So where is the Government's alternative energy plan? CO2 emissions are Ireland's main contribution to greenhouse gases which come mainly from power generation, 37% and transport, 22%. Yet in both these areas the Government is
overseeing significant emission increases rather than reductions.

"Despite having the best wind resources in Europe Ireland's record for building new wind generating stations is still only a fraction of the development in other countries. The Government refused to invest in the same transmission
connections to wind farms that they provided for polluting plants such as Moneypoint. For example, Minister for Finance, Charlie McCreevy has cut the tax incentives for alternative energy generation which initially encouraged people into the business."

"Our CO2 emissions from Transport are expected to have increased by 180% by 2010 and despite the Climate Change Strategy commitment to a modal shift towards public transport we are now spending five times more on new roads which will encourage people into their cars. Meanwhile our Minister for Finance has paid lip service to the need for environmental energy taxes. In reality, at EU level, Charlie McCreevy and his Department are blocking moves toward a common approach to the introduction of a CO2 tax. The Tanaiste is even more publicly sceptical about the merits of energy taxes."

"This ESB Moneypoint decision has effectively led to the scrapping of the Government's Climate Change strategy. The Green Party is now challenging the Government to outline the precise details of how Ireland is to meet its commitments."