COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
Monday, June 11, 2012
HEADED ITEM NO. 9
COVENANT OF MAYORS
REPLY:
The EU ‘Covenant of Mayors’, is an ambitious European Commission initiative directly targeting local authorities and their citizens to take the lead in the fight against global warming. All Covenant of Mayors signatories make a voluntary and unilateral commitment to go beyond EU objectives in terms of reduction in CO2 emissions.
REPORT:
South Dublin County Council has been very pro-active in recent years in the area of developing and implementing sustainable energy initiatives.
The South Dublin Sustainable Energy Strategy 2008-2011 is an energy action plan to achieve improvements in our energy systems and supplies in the interests of greater efficiencies, long term sustainability and limiting our impact on climate change.
The South Dublin County Council Climate Change Strategy 2009 was developed through the Environment Strategic Policy Committee in accordance with the National Climate Change Strategy 2007-2012 to promote best practice in relation to climate change issues.
The Tallaght Pilot Energy Study 2010 was the first step in the preparation of a baseline inventory of energy consumption for the entire County to inform future policy and strategy. This inventory was the first stage in the preparation of a Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP) for South Dublin County.
Supported by the EU Intelligent Energy Europe funded (IEE) ‘LEAP’ Project – ‘Leadership for Energy Action and Planning’, South Dublin’s first Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP) is currently being prepared. This is also a requirement of the South Dublin County Council Development Plan 2010-2016. The purpose of the SEAP is to show how the Council can achieve its Carbonreduction target by 2020. It is required to include actions concerning both the public and private sector operating within the geographical area of the Plan.
Further to a competitive bid process and a two stage submission by SDCC, in October 2011 Tallaght was chosen by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) as a ‘Sustainable Energy Community’ (SEC) along with Tralee UDC and Dublin City Council. The designation of Tallaght as one of three new exemplar SECs, is important national recognition of the Councils commitment to the energy and climate change challenge, and acknowledges the Councils efforts at becoming a focal point for energy efficiency and cost savings in South Dublin County.
In recent years there have been a range of SDCC-led initiatives in relation to our Housing Stock and Municipal Energy Supply aimed at increasing energy efficiency including an ongoing Council housing refurbishment programme (boilers, insulation, and windows) and re-tendering of the municipal energy supply. SDCC has also piloted individual renewable technologies such as solar, biomass and CHP in public buildings.
SDCC has also led the planning and implementation of new large scale rail-based Sustainable Communities inAdamstown and Clonburris, where the focus has been on land-use and transport integration as well as up-front facilities provision.
South Dublin County Council has participated in the Energy Management Action Plan (MAP) training system provided by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) which enables the management and monitoring of all initiatives through the appointment of an Energy Champion and interdepartmental Energy Team. Municipal, community, business, transport and institutional action groups have been established. South Dublin is acting as a mentor by developing and implementing its own register of energy opportunities.
With the SEAP preparation process in South Dublin County Council now well underway it is an appropriate time for South Dublin to join the EU ‘Covenant of Mayors’, a European Commission initiative directly targeting local authorities and their citizens to take the lead in the fight against global warming. All Covenant of Mayors signatories make a voluntary and unilateral commitment to go beyond EU objectives in terms of reduction in CO2 emissions. Accession to the Covenant of Mayors will raise our profile at national and European level and our hard work and commitment will be formally recognised.
The SEAP development process is supported by our European LEAP partners and in particular our principal mentor which is Southampton City Council. The SDCC SEAP baseline inventory is complete and has been reviewed and endorsed by our mentors. As part of our role in working with partners, we are developing new and better methodologies for the process.
The SEAP development process requires us to engage directly with homeowners, businesses, schools and other stakeholders within and beyond the County in order to begin the process of generating energy action at a local level. With this in mind the ‘Connect with Energy’ event in the ‘Big Picture’ has been launched for the week of 11-15 June. This event is a starting point for long term collaborations with energy stakeholders within the County. The Energy Team is also developing SDCC SEAP actions through liaison with stakeholder groups and full consultation on a draft document will commence in the Autumn.
The formal commitment of SDCC signing up to the Covenant of Mayors protocol is translated into concrete measures and projects through the SEAP development process. Signatory cities undertake to report and being monitored on their implementation of their Action Plans.
Signatories also commit to allocating sufficient human resources to the tasks, mobilising society in their geographical areas to take part in implementation of the action plan, including organisation of local energy days, and networking. The Covenant also affords valuable opportunities to share experience and best practices with others.
In order to join the Covenant of Mayors, the Council must pass a resolution that commits the Council, amongst other things, to submit a Sustainable Energy Action Plan including a baseline emission inventory which outlines how the objectives will be reached, within one year of formally signing the Covenant. The Vision and Political Statement for our becoming members of the Covenant of Mayors is set out below.
When the Council passes the resolution, the Mayor must then sign the attached adhesion form, which will be forwarded for confirmation to the Covenant of Mayors office in Brussels.
Vision and Political Statement
Vision
South Dublin County Council’s commitment to the energy challenge is represented by its vision: to act as a focal point for energy efficiency and reducing energy costs in the County as well as increasing the use of renewable energy sources. This can be simply summarised as ‘Save, Share and Renew’.
We can achieve a low carbon economy by working together to save energy, share knowledge and renew our economy. This will enable us to be a competitive and successful exemplar in key areas such as the built environment, sustainable travel and in supporting the business community.
Key components of this vision are innovation, replication, collaboration and communication with South Dublin’s proven track record of encouraging private innovation partnered with public leadership a vital element in achieving all of these. This is further supported by utilising funding from national and EU level and maximising established links with regional, national and European bodies and agencies.
It is now before this Council to resolve that South Dublin County Council sign up to The EU ‘Covenant of Mayors.