Over 15,400 jobs have been announced in the green economy sector, said Energy Minister Eamon Ryan at the launch of the Green Economy report in government buildings.

With the Taoiseach and Tánaiste, Minister Eamon Ryan outlined the programme of transformation that began when the Green Party entered government in 2007 and spelled out the priorities of the coming years on the basis of the new report.

“The Green Economy is developing in Ireland and will continue to with the help of this report. Since entering government, the semi state energy companies in Ireland have gone green with investment plans of over €30 billion over the next decade,” said Minister Ryan. “We have introduced a national insulation scheme which is reducing energy costs for over 30,000 homes insulated this year alone. We are on track for reaching our renewable energy targets with new guaranteed support prices for offshore wind, ocean energy and biomass anaerobic digestion/Combined Heat and Power. We have changed the rules so that people can create their own power and sell it back to the national grid and we are ahead of the international curve with electric vehicles and smart meters.”

With the East West interconnector under construction, the Single Electricity Market with Northern Ireland has begun and every day the amount of renewable energy on the Irish system is increasing, he added.

“Next year, I will prioritise the implementation of the Green IFSC, a new model of insulation, press ahead with electric vehicles and expand support for business to make the right choices. This has and will be truly transformational.”