28 March 2022
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
SEAI 2021 Annual Report ranks Cork Airport as the best performer in energy savings among commercial state bodies
Cork Airport has been ranked as the best performing commercial state body in Ireland for energy savings, according to the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) Annual Report 2021 on Public Sector Energy Efficiency Performance.
In 2020, Cork Airport improved its energy efficiency through a range of energy management practices, including a retrofit of the car park and airport campus lighting systems to a new LED lighting system. Cork Airport has been consistent in its commitment to energy efficiency and has reduced its energy consumption year on year since 2007. Cork Airport has a strong foundation in energy management, having previously won first place in the Public Sector category at the SEAI Sustainable Energy Awards in 2014.
As indicated in the Climate Action Plan 2021, public bodies are committed to a target reduction of 51% energy-related greenhouse gas emissions, a 50% improvement in energy efficiency and a requirement for 50% of space heating to be from renewable sources.
Cork Airport will undertake further capital investment in this arena in 2022 with the construction of a new electrical substation, which follows the airside electrical renewal and runway reconstruction completed in 2021. This sub-station will bring further improvements to the energy related infrastructure at Cork Airport.
Deirdre Livingstone, Head of Safety and Sustainability at Cork Airport, said:
“Sustainability, energy efficiency and decarbonisation are a real focus for us at Cork Airport and we are planning for further initiatives in our 2022-2026 strategy period, to meet and exceed the government decarbonisation targets.”
Niall MacCarthy, Managing Director, at Cork Airport added:
“SEAI is the authority on energy reporting in Ireland. This endorsement by SEAI of the real achievements made in energy reduction at Cork Airport in recent years underlines our strong commitment on this key strategic priority. We are planning to invest further, with Government support, in new and innovative projects to retain our title as Ireland’s best performing commercial state body for energy savings”.
