Sustainable energy authority plans to create 10,000 jobs in 5-year strategy

THE SUSTAINABLE Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has said it intends generating up to 10,000 jobs and €6 billion in savings for householders and businesses as part of its new five-year strategic plan.

The SEAI is working towards a target of reducing Irish carbon emissions by 2050 to one fifth of what they are today.

Central to this, it says, is the acceleration of the development and adoption of renewable energy sources. The SEAI said it wants to transform Ireland into a society based on sustainability, becoming a global leader in sustainable energy.

The SEAI chief executive Professor Owen Lewis said all sections of society must commit to make this “vision” a reality.

Professor Lewis said the Government is committed to a sustainable economy as it knows it would generate jobs in the future.

He said that transforming Ireland into a global leader in ocean energy was one of the main aims of the SEAI.

The strategic plan includes an aim that by 2015, public transport usage will have increased, all new buildings will be highly energy efficient and electric cars will be visible on Irish roads.

By 2025, it says all new buildings should be energy self-sufficient and renewable energy heating sources should be the norm in Irish homes. Most new car purchased will also be electric, it states.

By 2025, it wants all new buildings to be highly energy efficient and renewable energy to make up half of Irish energy supply. By 2035, it says that all buildings should be at least energy self-sufficient and that Ireland should have a locally-sourced green energy system. Ireland should also, at this point, be exporting our expertise in sustainable energy and sustainable technologies.

Commenting on the strategy, Energy Minister Eamon Ryan said Ireland’s future was “sustainable, green, innovative and knowledge- based”. “The new economy will bring savings – the €6 billion we can save over the lifetime of this strategy is the equivalent of our annual fossil fuel bill. It will bring investment and most importantly jobs for our people,” the minister said.