Environment News

Ambitious Electricity Interconnection Plans as Ireland Aims to Become Net Energy Exporter

By Ryan Harmon 28 July 2023

The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan, has welcomed Cabinet approval of a new policy statement on electricity interconnection which plans to make Ireland central to Europe’s energy future. The proposed plans will see Ireland increase its electricity interconnection capacity and explore new interconnection opportunities with Spain, Belgium

Environment News Transport

Hubs Offering Electric Cars and E-Bikes to Test Potential of Shared E-Mobility to Decarbonise Transport

By Ryan Harmon 24 July 2023

Atlantic Technological University together with Trinity College Dublin, ESB and Enterprise Rent-A-Car, will lead a €1.35 million shared e-mobility project to decarbonise transport. Funding of almost €850,000 has been awarded by the Government of Ireland through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). This project will deliver four shared electric mobility hubs

Council Partners Environment News

Cork County Council Recognises Community Effort In The Fight Against Litter

By Ryan Harmon 24 July 2023

Cork County Council has recognised the ongoing work of community and voluntary groups in villages across the county in the fight against litter. As part of the Council’s Anti-Litter Challenge 2023, twenty-one villages have been presented with certificates for their remarkable success in managing litter in their localities.  The Council’s Anti-Litter Challenge made a

Council Partners Environment News

Louth Urban Food Sanctuary Set to Launch in Autumn

By Ryan Harmon 21 July 2023

Louth County Council are set to launch the Louth Urban Food Sanctuary, following a €48,000 award from the government’s Creative Climate Action Fund II. The council were awarded under the SPARK strand of the funding, which is for smaller pilot initiatives. A total of 24 projects have been selected nationally to pilot public engagement projects […]

Environment News Transport

Testing and Training on Electric Buses in Dublin Under Way

By Ryan Harmon 21 July 2023

Driver training, vehicle testing and route piloting has got under way with the first of the battery-electric buses that have arrived in Dublin. Nine buses have been delivered by manufacturer Wrightbus from their plant in Ballymena Co Antrim. They are among the first of the 120 vehicles that the National Transport Authority (NTA) ordered in […]

Environment News

New RCSI Discovery to Help Increase Access to Clean Water in Low-Resource Communities

By Ryan Harmon 20 July 2023

Researchers from RCSI have discovered that poor transparency containers can be used for solar water disinfection, and this new discovery will increase the range of containers that will be used to disinfect water in low-resource communities in low to middle-income countries. The research paper, published in the ‘Journal of Environmental Chemical

Environment News

Ireland Has Become Warmer and Wetter in the Last Thirty Years

By Ryan Harmon 19 July 2023

Met Éireann, Ireland’s National Meteorological Service, has published a comprehensive summary of Ireland’s latest climate averages, for the period 1991-2020, showing Ireland has become warmer and wetter. These are the 30-year averages of observed variables such as rainfall and temperature. The key findings from Met Éireann’s analysis of the 1991-2020 climate

Business Environment News

Mercury Renewables Plans €200m Wind Farm And Hydrogen Plant

By Ryan Harmon 19 July 2023

Mayo-based renewable energy developer Mercury Renewables has submitted the first-ever Strategic Infrastructure Development (SID) planning application to An Bord Pleanála for a €200m utility-scale integrated wind farm and green hydrogen project. The planned development would produce 4.5m kilograms of green hydrogen per year once fully operational in what would be a

Environment News

Ireland’s Largest Protected Area for Birds Announced

By Ryan Harmon 17 July 2023

Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD, has announced details of Ireland’s largest ever protected area for birds. The new North-West Irish Sea Special Protection Area (SPA) is to be designated under the EU Birds Directive and will cover more than 230,000 hectares of important marine waters for a range of […]

Council Partners Environment News

Galway City Council Launches Community Clean Up Online Resource

By Ryan Harmon 13 July 2023

Galway City Council have launched a new online resource to make it easier for community groups to request bags, gloves and litter pickers for litter clean ups in their area. Throughout the year, community and business groups, residents’ associations, colleges, and schools help to keep our beautiful city tidy by engaging in community clean ups. […]

Environment News Transport

Dublin Port Company Completes Successful First Round of HVO Fuel Trial in Pilot Boat

By Ryan Harmon 13 July 2023

Dublin Port Company (DPC) has completed a successful first round trial using Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), a low-carbon bio fuel produced from waste material that can be used as a direct replacement for conventional marine diesel, in one of its Pilot Boats.  The Pilotage Service is estimated to contribute up to 20% of Dublin Port […]

Council Partners Environment News

Uisce Éireann Invest €34m in Mallow Wastewater Infrastructure to Protect River Blackwater

By Ryan Harmon 12 July 2023

Uisce Éireann, working in partnership with Cork County Council, has completed upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and sewer network in Mallow which represents a €34m investment in wastewater infrastructure. The investment will support social and economic growth in Mallow – enabling the local community to thrive while protecting the River Blackwater. Speaking

Business Environment News

Enhanced Supports for Business Through Solar PV Scheme

By Ryan Harmon 6 July 2023

The Government has approved amendments to the existing Non-Domestic Microgeneration Scheme for Solar PV, operated by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), to extend supports to a wider range of businesses and non-domestic applicants. This will be done through tiered grant supports for solar PV – for installation sizes greater than 6 kWp up […]

Environment News Transport

New Renewable Transport Fuel Policy Will Bring Ireland Closer to Sustainable Transport Goals

By Ryan Harmon 30 June 2023

Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan TD, announced the publication of the Renewable Transport Fuel Policy 2023-2025 Renewable Fuels for Transport Policy 2023-2025. This latest iteration of the Policy sets out updated rates for renewable transport fuels over the next two years and outlines the steps that have to be taken to achieve these proposed rates, in line […]

Council Partners Environment News

Waterford Ranked As Ireland’s Cleanest City in IBAL Summer Survey

By Ryan Harmon 29 June 2023

In the Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) most recent summer survey, Waterford emerged as Ireland’s Cleanest City and was classed as Clean to European Norms. The report cited that this was the customary splendid result for Waterford – some of the city centre sites deserve special mention as they are not only very good with […]

Business Environment News

The Benefits of a Circular Economy in Ireland

By Ryan Harmon 26 June 2023

Ireland is currently operating a linear economy model following a ‘take–make–waste’ pathway for resources, manufacturing and products. This traditional, non-sustainable economic model is not only wasteful and harmful to the natural environment, but it is also a barrier to progress against national climate targets, particularly for the waste sector. At present, many

Environment News

First Strategic Plan for National Parks and Wildlife Service Emphasises Leadership Role in Nature Protection

By Ryan Harmon 23 June 2023

Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD, has welcomed the publication of the National Parks and Wildlife Service Strategic Plan 2023-2025. The document sets out NPWS’s role as an executive agency within the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, with primary responsibility for nature conservation, wildlife protection and the

Environment News

Met Éireann Releases First Climate Projections From TRANSLATE Initiative

By Ryan Harmon 21 June 2023

Met Éireann is releasing the first climate projections of the TRANSLATE initiative at the European Climate Change Adaptation Conference 2023 (ECCA). TRANSLATE brings together all previous climate projections of relevance for Ireland, enhancing and improving their confidence and robustness and it combines them into one, easy to use, national resource to help Irish society

Council Partners Environment News

Gum Litter Taskforce Roadshow Takes to Tallaght to Tackle Gum Disposal

By Ryan Harmon 20 June 2023

The Gum Litter Taskforce (GLT) took to the streets of Tallaght as a part of its Summer Roadshow. The interactive Roadshow works with local authorities and communities across the country to carry out fun and engaging education and awareness initiatives that demonstrate the proper means of gum disposal and raise awareness of the environmental and fiscal […]

Business Environment News

KPMG and CoolPlanet Join Forces

By Ryan Harmon 15 June 2023

KPMG in Ireland and CoolPlanet have joined forces to help deliver end-to-end decarbonisation solutions to businesses as part of wide-ranging decarbonisation offerings.  This alliance brings together a broad set of experienced professionals in carbon, energy, and consulting, as well as leading software tools to help organisations with end-to-end decarbonisation