28 June 2019
By Mary Bermingham
mary@TheCork.ie
North Cork Fine Gael Councillor John Paul O’Shea has encouraged local businesses and farms to apply to the second phase of the Support Scheme for Renewable Heat (SSRH) which opened recently. The Cork North West General Election candidate said the Scheme will support operational support for biomass boilers and anaerobic digestion heating systems, and support Ireland’s efforts to meet its emissions reductions targets.
The Scheme was launched this week by the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Richard Bruton TD. Cllr. O’Shea said the SSRH will supports Ireland’s aim to cut greenhouse gases and replace fossil fuels by renewable sources. The scheme is designed to replace fossil fuel heating systems by heat pumps and by heat from biomass or anaerobic digestion.
Applications for the Scheme are now open. This round of the Scheme will support businesses and farms for up to 15 years for the installation and on-going use of biomass and anaerobic digestion heating systems. The Scheme is designed to support up to 1,300 GWh of renewable heat per year (equivalent to the heating needs of approximately 120,000 homes).
Overall, the projects supported will increase the renewable heat use in Ireland by three percentage points and decrease emissions in the non-ETS sector by approximately 300,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. The Scheme has integrated lessons learned from other similar scheme in other jurisdictions and, as a result, includes detailed eligibility and budgetary controls.
Cllr. O’Shea commented: “The scheme will include important protections to ensure that the heat supported is sustainable, used for useful purposes and represents value for money for the taxpayer. Over the period to 2030, the successful delivery of this programme can reduce carbon emissions by 11 million tonnes – a significant contribution to meeting our emissions reduction targets.”
The first phase of the SSRH, an installation grant for heat pumps, opened in September 2018 and supports ground, air and water source electric heat pump installations with grant-aid up to 30% of the capital outlay. Under Project Ireland 2040, the National Development Plan sets out an allocation of €300 million for the rollout of the scheme for the period up to 2027.
Full details of the Support Scheme for Renewable Heat including the tariff levels, terms and conditions and how to apply are available on SEAI’s website, www.seai.ie
