Foilsiú
National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) 2021-2030
Ó An Roinn Comhshaoil, Aeráide agus Cumarsáide
Foilsithe
An t-eolas is déanaí
Teanga: Níl leagan Gaeilge den mhír seo ar fáil.
In accordance with the Governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action Regulation, our draft updated National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) 2021-2030 was submitted to the European Commission in July 2024. It outlines our department's energy and climate policies in detail for the period from 2021 to 2030 and looks onwards to 2050. This draft incorporates the Commission's feedback on the 2023 draft as well as feedback from two consultations.
The NECP collates the policies, measures and actions related to energy and climate outlined in a range of government plans: such as the Climate Action Plan, the National Development Plan, and Project Ireland 2040, into one cohesive document. It also presents modelling that illustrates Ireland’s current trajectories toward its three main European targets.
National Energy and Climate Plans are the framework within which EU Member States must notify their climate and energy objectives, targets, policies, and measures to the European Commission and were established under Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action. Member States are required to develop NECPs on a ten-year rolling basis. The aim of the plans is to outline our energy and climate policies in detail for the period from 2021 to 2030 and provide projections and ambitions towards 2050. Under the Regulation, Member States are also required to update their initial plans after 5 years, this is the first update of the initial NECP which was published in 2019.
The NECP covers five dimensions of the Energy Union:
- Decarbonisation
- Energy Efficiency
- Energy Security
- Internal Energy Market
- Research, Innovation and Competitiveness
The NECP brings together the policies, targets, tools and associated material relating to our climate and energy obligations under various EU Regulations and Directives from across government bodies and departments into one document. It reflects our ambitions and provides certainty to investors and policymakers that we are committed to EU-wide targets and ambitions to move towards becoming a carbon-neutral society.
The NECP reflects the ambitions set out in Climate Action Plan 2024. Whereas the Climate Action Plan is updated to reflect new policies and measures to increase Ireland’s ambitions in pursuing energy and climate targets, the NECP acts more as a collation of existing policies and an analysis of how we are performing relative to EU-wide targets, including projections on how we expect to perform in future years based on current trajectories. The NECP will act to identify gaps and areas that Ireland can improve on, which should be reflected in updated policies and measures in subsequent Climate Action Plans. The policies outlined in the NECP will reflect the ambition of Climate Action Plan 2024. However, due to the criteria set by the Commission the modelling does not simply reflect one Climate Action Plan. Developing the complex models necessitates the closure of the input assumptions exercise towards the end of the previous year. Therefore, there may be more recent initiatives or developments that are not reflected in the modelling.
The modelling underpinning the updated NECP has been carried out by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) based on two potential scenarios: the With Existing Measures (WEM) scenario and the With Additional Measures (WAM) scenario. Definitions are as follow:
- WEM: Measures committed to by government. Measure must be in place before the end of the latest inventory year (2022)
- WAM: Assumes implementation of the WEM in addition to measures in government plans including Climate Action Plan 2024
The modelled figures represent a snapshot based on set criteria but do not lock us into a trajectory to miss Ireland’s targets. Significant additional actions are required to address the shortfall, but progress can still be made.
While there are challenges in meeting our targets and a need to improve our current trajectories, the policies we have implemented, and the choices we are making as a society to reduce our emissions are working. Ireland’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduced by 6.8% in 2023 with reductions achieved in almost all sectors. This represents the lowest overall level in three decades and is below the 1990 baseline. This has been achieved against the backdrop of a growing economy and population. Emissions data from the EPA show the largest single year reductions in the energy and agriculture sectors and the lowest level of residential emissions since 1990, while transport emissions were below pre-COVID-19 levels.
These figures show us that the policies enacted under previous Climate Action Plans are working. It is critical that we build on these achievements and implement, in full, the Climate Action Plan 2024 as well as focus on developing further polices to address areas where we are off trajectory.
