Energy Policy

Thursday, 7 November 2024

Questions (16)

Eoin Ó Broin

Question:

16. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will consider establishing a household and SME rebalancing subvention, modelled on the large energy user rebalancing subvention introduced in 2009, with the purpose of subsidizing the network costs of households and small and medium enterprises, by collecting a greater portion of network charges from large energy users; and his views on the feasibility and potential benefits of such a rebalancing measure. [45686/24]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications (Deputy Eamon Ryan)

There are currently no proposals to introduce a rebalancing subvention along the lines set out in the question.

The Large Energy User Rebalancing Subvention refers to a 2009 government decision to rebalance electricity network tariffs to support Large Energy Users with effect from 1st October 2010. This decision was made at a time when the then global financial crisis and domestic banking crisis were both starting to take effect and the competitiveness of large Irish firms, together with the employment implications, were a serious policy issue. This decision was made to help safeguard jobs in some of Ireland’s most-critical and export-orientated industries, at a time when unemployment was rising at a fast rate. This subvention ceased from the 1st of October 2022. The calculation of the LEU rebalancing subvention is within the exclusive remits of CRU and ESB Networks.