COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, March 13, 2017

QUESTION NO. 14

QUESTION: Councillor D. Looney

To ask the Chief Executive to provide an update on district heating, geothermal energy, micro-hydroelectric projects and other sustainable energy resource schemes planned or underway by the Council, and to make a statement on the matter.

REPLY:

The County Architect provided a detailed briefing on energy matters to the Council at the November meeting: The Council has been successful in attracting funding under the Inter-Reg V.(b) programme for the development of piping and heat-exchange infrastructure for a district-heating system linking, initially, the Tallaght Hospital and County Hall.   The project will require the laying of pipeworks and the development of a procurement and governance model for the realisation and operation of the network. The energy centre (not funded by Inter-Reg) will include a combined Heat and Power Plant. Closed-loop geothermal is one of the possible renewable sources under review for this CHP. The Inter-Reg section of the project must be completed by mid-2019.

A number of micro-hydroelectric projects were evaluated in the County-wide study but the current energy market does not render them economically viable for the short-term.