Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 July 2026
82. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the funding provided to participating local authorities under the Local Authority Public Lighting Energy Efficiency Project (details supplied) to date, in tabular form; to clarify the grounds on which each payment was calculated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53216/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThis Government is committed to climate action and has provided record funding for climate related measures and actions through the Climate Action Fund (CAF). In 2024, my Department signed a grant agreement with the Roads Management Office (RMO) for the Public Lighting Energy Efficiency Project, committing €17.5 million CAF funding, leveraging a total investment of €126 million, to retrofit approximately 197,000 non-LED Local Authority public lights to high efficiency LED Lanterns.
Public Lighting accounts for approximately 50% of total energy use and this project could save in excess of 48,000 kWh of energy annually and avoid the emission of approximately of over 17,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent annually.
The project is managed by the RMO, includes 21 local authorities and is being implemented on a regional basis by three lead authorities, namely South West, led by Cork County Council; East, led by Kilkenny County Council; and Northwest led by Mayo County Council.
The 21 participating authorities are:
• Southern Region: Cork County Council, Clare County Council, Kerry Co Council, Limerick City and Co Council, Waterford City and Co Council.
• Eastern Region: Carlow Co Council, Kildare Co Council, Kilkenny Co Council, Louth Co Council, Meath Co Council, Offaly Co Council, Tipperary Co Council, Westmeath Co Council, Wicklow Co Council.
• North-West Region: Cavan Co Council, Donegal Co Council, Galway Co Council, Leitrim Co Council, Mayo Co Council, Roscommon Co Council, Sligo Co Council.
Under the grant agreement with the RMO, the total number of public lights eligible for replacement is 197,907, as validated and submitted by local authorities to the National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC) as of 1 January 2022. The grant agreement provides that funding from the CAF is available up to a maximum amount of €17,476,463.03.
10% of support for eligible costs submitted by the RMO is retained at each drawdown and will be retained until completion of each project, and following verification that the works have been delivered to the satisfaction of my Department. The payment of this final 10% for each Project is also subject to having received and verified all required reports.
The funding provided by the CAF (including payments currently being processed) is set out in the table below. These payments are made to the RMO for distribution to the three regional projects via each lead authority. The amounts shown reflect grant funding claimed and paid in accordance with the terms and conditions of the CAF grant agreement and the eligible expenditure incurred by each participating authority in the region.
Summary of CAF funding in all regions / milestones
|
Milestone No. |
South West Region |
Eastern Region |
North West Region |
Total |
|
Total CAF Allocation |
€6,392,150.12 |
€6,830,150.06 |
€4,254,162.85 |
€17,476,463.03 |
|
Milestones achieved (Note: 4 Milestones per region) |
Milestones 1 ,2,3,4 |
Milestones 1 & 2 |
Milestones 1,2& 3 (Note: This includes Payments currently being processed for milestones 2&3) |
|
|
Value of CAF claims to date (after 10% retention) |
€4,717,406.80 |
€3,073,567.54 |
€2,871,559.92 |
€10,662,534.26 |
Payments are not made on a predetermined allocation basis to individual local authorities. Rather, claims are submitted by the RMO in accordance with the terms of the grant agreement and are assessed against eligible expenditure incurred in delivering the project. Each payment is calculated on the basis of:
• eligible expenditure incurred by participating local authorities in the delivery of the project;
• submission of supporting invoices relating to activities and services directly associated with the project and the achievement of agreed milestones;
• evidence that the relevant project milestones have been achieved;
• confirmation that expenditure has been allocated and incurred in accordance with the conditions of the grant agreement;
• evidence that amounts claimed have been paid to suppliers;
• compliance with the requirements of Circular 13/2014 on the Management of and Accountability for Grants from Exchequer Funds; and
• submission of supporting financial documentation, including expenditure schedules, invoices and proof of payment.
Payments are calculated on the basis of verified eligible expenditure and milestone achievement rather than by reference to a fixed allocation per participating local authority.
