Archive for the 'Energy' Category
Dominick’s oral submission to An Bord Pleanala on Ringaskiddy incinerators
Published May 14, 2009 Amenity , Cork Harbour , Cork Swansea Ferry , Economy , Energy , Environment , Heritage , Incineration , Marine , Ringaskiddy , Waste Leave a CommentDominick’s written submission to An Bord Pleanala on Ringaskiddy incinerators
Published April 27, 2009 Cork Harbour , Energy , Environment , Heritage , Incineration , Ringaskiddy Leave a CommentCllr. Donnelly is confident incinerators will not get planning permission
Published April 27, 2009 Cork Harbour , Energy , Environment , Incineration , Ringaskiddy Leave a Comment26th April 2009
The oral hearing for the Ringaskiddy incinerators starts on Monday 27th April, and will proceed for about three weeks. Cllr. Dominick Donnelly, Green Party member of Passage West Town Council and candidate for Cork County Council for the Carrigaline electoral area, who has been part of the steering committee of CHASE (Cork Harbour Area for a Safe Environment) for the past eight years, is confident that finally the threat of the incinerators in Cork Harbour will be refused at this oral hearing.
Cllr. Donnelly said: “At the last An Bord Pleanála oral hearing into the Ringaskiddy incinerators over five years ago, the only reason planning permission was granted was on the grounds that incineration was part of Government policy at the time. That is clearly not the case any more. The Minister for the Environment John Gormley has made a number of statements to that effect, in advance of the complete review of waste management policy due later this year.”
Cllr. Donnelly continued: “A number of other things are different this time, which should make it impossible for Indaver to get planning permission. An Bord Pleanála refused planning permission for an incinerator in Rathcoole in Co. Dublin, on grounds which can largely be replicated in Ringaskiddy. Also the board refused the Port of Cork planning permission in Ringaskiddy last year for their container terminal on transport grounds, which would also apply to the incinerators, albeit to a lesser extent. Also the Department of the Environment have put in a very strongly worded submission on this application, in which they show that Indaver have basically ignored the fact that their proposed incinerators are in very close proximity to Special Areas of Conservation in Cork Harbour, such as Monkstown Creek and Loughbeg. All of this adds up to it hopefully being inevitable this will be the end of the road for the threat of incineration in Cork Harbour.”
Minister Ryan visits DePuy in Ringaskiddy to see their energy initiatives
Published April 21, 2009 Cork Harbour , Economy , Energy , Ringaskiddy 1 Comment
Cllr. Dominick Donnelly, Minister Eamon Ryan and Senator Dan Boyle with senior managment at DePuy, Ringaskiddy
During his visit to Cork on Friday 17th April, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Eamon Ryan, visited the DePuy plant in Loughbeg, Ringaskiddy, to see their energy inititiatives first hand. The picture above shows, from left to right, John Lynch (Plant Manager DePuy), James Winters (Engineering Manager DePuy), Dan Donovan (Technical Services Team Leader DePuy), Cllr. Dominick Donnelly, Minister Eamon Ryan, Senator Dan Boyle and the Cork hurler Donal Og Cusack, who is leading DePuy’s energy initiative. In the background is the test mast which DePuy are currently using to get test readings in advance of submitting a planning application for a wind turbine.
As part of the visit, Minister Ryan was given an excellent presentation by Donal Og Cusack, as the leader of DePuy’s energy initiative, and Plant Manager John Lynch, in which they outlined the very serious way in which DePuy are taking energy issues. For many years DePuy have been reducing their energy needs while increasing their output, and this has led them to very substantial financial savings. Donal Og Cusack described how DePuy has trained its employees to take energy issues as seriously as they take safety issues. He also described how over half of the electricity they buy is from renewable sources, and how they are looking at different ways of generating their own electricity on site. As a start on this, DePuy have come together with four other large plants in Ringaskiddy, and the five companies will be submitting planning applications later in the year to install wind turbines on the Ringaskiddy peninsula. DePuy are also installing a woodchip boiler, which will be up and running later this year. They are also exploring the potential of such technologies as geothermal and wave power.
Cllr. Dominick Donnelly, Green Party member of Passage West Town Council and candidate for Cork County Council, who accompanied Minister Ryan on his visit, said: “It is wonderful to see a company such as DePuy is taking energy issues so seriously. DePuy continue to grow their business, and are currently employing about 700 people, with an extension currently under construction. DePuy are a model to other businesses as to how taking energy issues seriously leads to substantial savings on the company’s bottom line.”
Thousands of green jobs to be created by ESB
Published April 16, 2009 Economy , Energy Leave a Comment
16th April 2009
Announcement proves that going green will save money and the economy says Cllr. Donnelly
Local Green Party member of Passage West Town Council and candidate for Cork County Council, Cllr. Dominick Donnelly has welcomed today’s announcement by the ESB that up to 6,000 jobs and training opportunities are to be created through green projects and initiatives. The ESB confirmed that 3,700 jobs will be created in the areas of wind energy, smart networks and smart metering, electric vehicles, construction and energy servicing.
Cllr. Donnelly said: “Going green saves money and creates jobs. Today’s announcement is proof of this. As an island nation we can use our vast wind and wave resources to power our homes and our cars. In order to do this, we need to install and upgrade our electricity network in a smart way – and this is where many of the jobs announced by the ESB will come from.”
“The Green Party in Government has taken Irish energy in a new direction. Our initiatives such as smart meters, smart networks, electric cars, renewable energy, green technology and home insulation are bearing fruit. Now we must look at how these jobs can be created and sustained at a local level,” continued Cllr. Donnelly.
Specific projects resulting in the creation of new jobs include:
- The roll-out of Smart Metering and the implementation of ESB’s Smart Networks Strategy which will lead to 1,500 jobs by 2013.
- Novus Modus (ESB’s new energy technology fund) has committed to a five year programme of investment in clean energy and energy efficiency (350 jobs). The fund has just invested €2.5 million in the Cork-based company, Nualight, which is creating up to 60 additional jobs locally.
- Electric vehicles (600 jobs) including the roll-out of the infrastructure to allow electric vehicles to be recharged.
- Working with Sustainable Energy Ireland, ESB will offer free home-energy efficiency surveys to 25,000 householders and subsequent support to allow them implement necessary measures.
- In order to alleviate the current severe shortage of electrical engineers, ESB will finance 50 apprentices each year for the next four years to allow them to achieve a third level engineering degree.
In addition, ESB will sustain a further 1300 jobs outside the company through ongoing investment programmes in the company’s power generation and networks infrastructure. The company will recruit 250 engineers and 50 other professionals and train 800 apprentices over the next five years, including 400 FAS apprentices who recently lost their jobs and will now be able to complete their craft training, paid for by ESB.
Cllr. Donnelly concluded: “There’s no denying that times are tough, but with proper planning and investment, we can help kickstart the economy, get people off our doles queues and sustain our energy future, while helping the environment too.”
Cllr. Donnelly encourages residents to sign up for insulation grants
Published April 15, 2009 Energy Leave a Comment25th March 2009
Home energy saving scheme now open for business
Cllr. Dominick Donnelly, the Green Party member of Passage West Town Council and candidate for the Carrigaline electoral area of Cork County Council, has called on local residents in the South Cork area to sign up for the Government’s insulation scheme which began processing applications today. Installing better insulation and heating systems can save homeowners up to €700 annually on their electricity bills.
Cllr. Donnelly said: “There has been an unprecedented level of interest in insulation grants, and the scheme has the potential to create thousands of jobs and halve electricity bills.
“Already nearly 100,000 people have registered their interest in the scheme with Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI), the agency that will administer the grants. I am encouraging both local homeowners and local builders who may be short of work at the moment to get involved.
“Insulation is the single best way of saving money on energy. The home energy saving scheme will see homeowners save up to €700 annually on their electricity bills. This, coupled with recent reductions in electricity prices is great news for consumers in these tight times.
“We also need more qualified contractors to come on board in order to carry out all of the additional work. I would urge contractors in south Cork to register with SEI and secure a major business boost for themselves in the process. The level of public interest is such that contractors can be assured of work for themselves and maybe even expand their businesses.
“It’s good news for our pockets, for the economy and for the environment,” Cllr. Donnelly concluded.
Greens urge homeowners and farmers to sell energy back to ESB
Published April 15, 2009 Energy Leave a Comment27th February 2009
Every farm and house in South Cork can become a mini power plant
The Green Party’s candidate for the Carrigaline area of Cork County Council and Passage West Town Council, Cllr. Dominick Donnelly urged homeowners and farmers that produce their own electricity to sign up to a new scheme that will pay them for any spare energy they generate.
Under a programme announced today by the Green Party’s Energy Minister Eamon Ryan, there will be incentives for small-scale generation of electricity for domestic users with wind and water turbines, solar panels and combined heat and power units.
The first 4,000 people to sign up to the scheme with the ESB will get a guaranteed price of 19 cents per kWh. Non ESB customers will get 10c per kWh.
Cllr. Donnelly said: “Every farm and house in the region, particularly in rural areas, can now become a mini power plant. This long-demanded Green policy will help people to lower their energy costs and to fight climate change.
“The rules have changed. Before, you received your power from a central source and paid for it. Now you can generate for yourself and be paid for the excess you don’t use. We can use our abundant natural resources to bolster the economy, create skilled, lasting, green-collar jobs and reduce carbon emissions at the same time. This type of long-term investment with a guaranteed return, represents the best value for spending and lending.
“By generating power at home from clean, renewable sources, we will improve our energy independence and keep more money in Ireland. We do not want to be dependent on Russia, Saudi Arabia or even Britain for our energy needs; we can supply our own,” concluded Cllr. Donnelly.
