From Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications
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The Minister of State with responsibility for energy efficiency and decarbonisation in the public sector at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, Ossian Smyth, today welcomes REPowerEU funding under Ireland’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) for an investment into a HSE Pilot Energy and Decarbonisation Pathfinder Project.
This project has been approved for €48 million of funding from Ireland's overall NRRP allocation of €1.15 billion, of which the REPowerEU allocation is €240 million. About 1 in 5 buildings in the public sector are healthcare buildings. The SEAI/HSE Pilot Energy and Decarbonisation Pathfinder Project is the first deep retrofit of HSE sites and will be critical in terms of providing learning and experience to the HSE, which has a vast national estate portfolio.
Welcoming the funding, Minister Smyth said:
"Increasing the energy efficiency of these facilities will improve the experience of those who use them – patients and staff – and will also help lower their carbon footprint. It is important that the public sector leads the way in terms of energy efficiency and decarbonisation and this is an excellent initiative."
Mr Brian O'Connell, Interim National Director, HSE Capital and Estates, commented:
"The HSE is delighted to receive this REPowerEU funding towards 5 HSE hospital and community sites. This will help the HSE deliver our Pilot Energy and Decarbonisation Pathfinder Project, build on existing work with our built environment and ultimately help to reduce emissions and protect population health."
Declan Meally, Director of Business, Public Sector and Transport at SEAI, said:
"SEAI is working in partnership with the HSE through our SEAI Pathfinder Programme to achieve ambitious targets set out in the National Climate Action Plan. We are delighted to support this Pilot Energy and Decarbonisation Pathfinder that has a goal to inform a broader national retrofit programme across the HSE estate. The comprehensive energy system retrofits and building fabric upgrades across healthcare facilities will not only reduce carbon emissions but also enhance the sustainability and efficiency of our healthcare infrastructure. Together, we are paving the way for a more sustainable future.
"The scale of the challenge we face in retrofitting our public building stock is enormous and this project is an important first step in that process. Aside from the sectoral emissions ceiling under the Climate Act, there are onerous targets for the public sector under newly negotiated EU Directives on energy efficiency, energy performance in buildings and renewable energy. Large investments will be required for these targets to be achieved. Furthermore, it is an accepted principle that the public sector must lead by example."
The REPowerEU allocation of €48 million will be directed to 5 HSE sites: Lusk Community Nursing Unit, Baltinglass Community Nursing Unit, Clonakilty Community Nursing Unit, Midlands Regional Hospital Mullingar and Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda. HSE Capital and Estates will lead out on this.
ENDS