Chapter 5
Climate and Environment
Issues / Recommendations / Observations
Sub. No.
Chief Executive’s Response & Recommendation
Submission includes recommended GIS datasets relevant to EIA and SEA that may be useful to the environmental assessment and planning process. Reference is also made to Corks geoheritage, geothermal energy and landscape preservation. 92
The new Roadmap for a Policy and Regulatory Framework for Geothermal Energy launched in November 2020 is noted. Reference to these documents will be included in Chapter 9, with referencing text proposed in Chapter 5. Recommendation: Update paragraph 5.28 as follows: Renewable and low carbon energy generation can take a number of forms including, but not limited to wind; solar; geothermal; hydro; air, water and ground source heat pumps; biomass; and energy from waste. Geothermal energy is addressed in more detail in Chapter 9. * The following text is also proposed to be included in paragraph 5.28, see OPR submission 426. The Plan promotes the generation and supply of low carbon and renewable energy alternatives, having regard to the opportunities offered by the City’s urban morphology, settlement hierarchy and the hinterland. It is envisaged that wind power will make the most significant contribution to the achievement of national targets for renewable electricity. Micro-renewable wind energy generation has a part to play in reaching these targets, and potential may exist for on-site and micro wind energy production in industrial areas and business parks subject to the requirement to protect residential amenity in surrounding areas. Potential also exists for the production of electricity from large scale offshore wind energy facilities off the coast of Cork City in the Celtic Sea. In this regard, Cork City Council, where applicable, supports the implementation of the ‘Offshore Renewable Energy Development Plan’ (O REDP) published in 2014 by the Department of Communications Energy and Natural Resources (and subsequently
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