OFTEC NEWS
“Since 2020, £107m has been spent in a bid to deliver net-zero targets and affordable energy, but its report said there is a ‘very significant risk’ that two of the three key targets will be missed by 2030.”
David Blevings at the NIHE sustainability summit.
Department of Economy consulting the Biofuels Committee.
between this and a consultation – ie no decisions will be made, and this was purely just information gathering. The call looked at various issues including supply chain, sustainability, fuel poverty and consumer protection. They had only 34 responses across industry, environmental groups, farmers and consumer groups. With just 11% being from homeowners - just three people - we need to dramatically improve this for future engagement. There are some positive details in the report, with constructive noises about the blended pricing scenario. However, cost estimates presented are contingent on significant fiscal and regulatory changes, which are dependent on Westminster policy changes. Blending could be a viable option, but it would only deliver a partial contribution towards overall decarbonisation, and Government is looking for a pathway to enable consumers to fully decarbonise. However, work is ongoing with other e-fuels, and we do not know where the industry will be in 10 years’ time.
Regarding the consultation on support for low-carbon heat in the residential sector, this was a consultation on all clean heat technologies. It should be noted that Northern Ireland currently does not have any clean heat schemes or grants, unlike the rest of the UK. Multiple respondents suggested other technologies such as hybrid heat pumps, heat batteries, biomass or biofuels to act as a transitionary tool for the journey to electrification of heat. It is suggested that this method would allow for a gradual increase in the upskilling of the industry, while also taking some pressure off the electricity grid if a large uptake of electrification was to take place. In terms of overall policy, the report says that this will continue to be heat pump led. In terms of grant schemes, the government is minded to follow a similar route to the UK, but needs another consultation in 2026, and therefore this is unlikely to take effect until 2027. Indeed, the Climate Action Plan references just 200 heat pump installs in 2027. The words ‘no overall consensus’ appear
on a regular basis in the summary of responses, which clearly will make the Executive’s future decisions difficult. The consultation responses can be viewed at https://www.economy-ni.gov. uk/publications OFTEC’s view We are disappointed that the Executive has not been bolder in its thinking. In terms of biofuels, it is clear that the RHI scandal weighs heavily on officials and, so, it is not surprising that further work is required. The Executive has been heavily criticised for no action and having too many consultations by the national audit body, and so the announcement of yet more consultations is ‘more of the same’ and does not come as a surprise. One thing that does stand out is that we do need more consumer engagement, similar to the positive campaign that has been actioned in GB. Until more consumers tell MLAs what they want, we cannot expect any swift changes to the current lackadaisical approach.
David Blevings, OFTEC Ireland Manager on T: +44 (0)28 9186 2916 Sean McBride, Ireland Representative on T: 07540 502 304 (NI) or 087 241 7041 (RoI) www.oftec.org Want to know more?
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