Minister Ryan launches consultation on Ireland's Draft National Energy and Climate Plan

The draft NECP brings together Ireland's energy and climate targets and initiatives under EU legislation into one framework.

The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan, today (Thursday, 8 February) launched a public consultation on an updated draft of Ireland’s National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP).

All European Union (EU) Member States, including Ireland, develop NECPs to outline progress towards their climate and energy objectives and targets under EU legislation.

The NECP, which covers the period from 2021 to 2030, focuses on the actions Ireland is taking to meet its EU 2030 targets for greenhouse gas emission reductions, renewable energy, energy efficiency and electricity interconnection, as mandated by EU Regulations and Directives. The aim of this consultation is to engage stakeholders and gather valuable feedback that will inform and shape a final version of the NECP.

Commenting on the opening of the consultation, Minister Ryan said:

This consultation forms a key component of the NECP process, which will culminate with the submission of a final NECP to the European Commission in June 2024. Ireland submitted its draft NECP to the Commission in 2023. The feedback from the Commission's assessment of the draft, in addition to the feedback from the stakeholder consultation, will be reflected in the final NECP.

As the document evolves to incorporate these changes, along with the integration of Ireland’s new, more ambitious European targets and updated policies, it is anticipated that the final NECP will represent a substantially developed update to the draft which was submitted in December 2023.

A further consultation will be carried out prior to the submission of the final NECP, to ensure that stakeholders are kept informed on the process and are given opportunity to contribute to the shaping of this document.

For information on how to make a submission to the NECP consultation, please visit the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications website.

National Dialogue on Climate Action (NDCA)

The NECP has also been informed by the National Dialogue on Climate Action (NDCA). Through these structured national conversations, the government has engaged directly with 12,000 individuals and organisations across urban, rural, and coastal communities throughout Ireland, including youth and marginalised groups in discussions about climate change and climate action.

The NECP and the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) III

Russia’s war in Ukraine, recent high energy prices and increased frequency of extreme weather events resulted in the European Commission introducing a suite of packages to accelerate the green transition and drastically improve energy security. Directives such as RED (Renewable Energy Directive) III introduced new higher targets to Member States. These revised EU targets required detailed assessment by Member States, including detailed modelling and an analysis of the targets as well as the suite of polices available to bridge the gap to the higher targets. This meant that there was insufficient time to incorporate RED III targets into this version of the NECP.

The NECP and the 'With Existing Measures (WEM)' scenario

In its submission to the European Commission, the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications illustrated the current trajectory as indicated by the 'With Existing Measures (WEM)' scenario. These are policies that were implemented in the latest inventory year. The final NECP will include a revised WEM as well as a 'With Additional Measures (WAM)' scenario. The department and colleagues across Government are working with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop evidence-based analysis of its targets and the available policies, particularly WAM, with a view to bridging the gap to its new revised 2030 targets in the final version of the NECP to be submitted in June 2024.

The NECP and Climate Action Plan 2023

The Climate Action Plan follows the Irish legislated Climate Act 2021, which commits Ireland to a legally binding domestic target of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions no later than 2050, and a reduction of 51% by 2030. These targets are a key pillar of the Programme for Government. These ambitious policies are designed to meet Ireland's domestic and international targets. The policy scenarios presented in the NECP are based on analysis by the SEAI and EPA. The 'With Existing Measures (WEM)' scenario represents policies implemented and adopted by the end of the latest inventory year. As the department has not included 'With Additional Measures (WAM)' for this version, the polices outlined in Climate Action Plan 2023 have not been incorporated into the modelling. The WAM will be included in the final version of the NECP to be submitted in June 2024.

Carbon Budgets and Sectoral Emissions Ceilings

The targets, policies and measures that will be used in the final version of the NECP are still undergoing analysis. It has not yet been decided if Carbon Budgets and Sectoral Emissions Ceilings will be included in the NECP. The structure and requirements of NECPs are set by European legislation and is aligned with Ireland's European targets.

Climate Action Plan 2024

Climate Action Plan 2024 sets out Ireland's climate policy under the national framework in accordance with the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act. It was approved by Government in December 2023, subject to public consultation and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). Climate Action Plan 2024 is the third annual update to Ireland’s domestic Climate Action Plan 2019.