Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 25 February 2026
20. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the way in which he intends on paying expected fines of between €3 and €26 billion for missing Ireland's EU climate and energy targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15600/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraIreland has committed to meeting climate and energy targets under EU legislation including but not limited to: Effort Sharing Regulation; Land Use Land Use Change and Forestry Regulation; Renewable Energy Directive; and the Energy Efficiency Directive. It remains the preference of the Government to meet these targets through domestic action and investment, but there are a variety of compliance options available to Member States across the respective instruments.
With regard to climate targets, the EU framework does not provide for the imposition of direct fines or penalties. However, it does allow for the purchasing of surplus allowances from overperforming Member States which could have significant costs. Estimating these costs requires working with significant data limitations as, at this point, there is no established market or set cost for allowances. This was noted by the CCAC and IFAC in their report, which provided the range of costs that the Deputy refers to.
With our whole-of-Government approach, we are focused on achieving these targets by investing in transformational measures that will decarbonise our economy, and this has been significantly scaled up. This Government has approved an unprecedented investment of €18.9 billion in Grid for the period 2026 – 2030 which is fundamental to the electrification of homes, businesses and transport. We are making significant strides toward our target of 80% renewable energy by 2030 and we are now prioritising the development of offshore wind capacity. The rollout of retrofitting, renewable energy deployment, and more affordable electric vehicles also continues at pace.
In line with our Programme for Government commitment, enhanced implementation governance arrangements to support accelerated climate action delivery were put in place in 2025 to streamline structures, ensure key strategic projects are supported, and allow for corrective action to be taken quickly if delivery is at risk.
