The Cabinet has authorized plans to distribute three €200 power credits to each household in the country during the next six months. The introduction of a €600 electricity credit for households was one of the highlights of Budget 2023. This will be paid in three installments, with households receiving €200 credits in November, January, and March.
The Taoiseach informed the Dail that the government is also investigating ways to assist “those groups that fall outside the parameters” of the energy credit. It comes as Ireland prepares for a bleak winter with no certainty that power outages will not occur owing to energy supply concerns caused by Russia’s war with Ukraine.
The Taoiseach recently announced that work is continuing to guarantee that pay-as-you-go energy consumers will not be switched off this winter. He told RTE’s The Week in Politics: “In an energy crisis of this sort, we cannot have disconnections. That is something we are extremely clear about. “We don’t want anybody disconnected especially vulnerable individuals and those who may struggle to pay their bills.”
He stated that the government will collaborate with energy suppliers, and that the regulator is also working on this. “And also, via the social welfare system, we will undergird and help them in terms of meeting their bills,” Mr. Martin added.
The Taoiseach went on to say that the government is taking steps to improve energy procurement and that while he believes this winter will be good there is no “guarantee.” “Next year will be hard… and the year after that… and that is why we need to accelerate the wind energy planning and permitting system,” he added. He went on to suggest that the government’s plan must include a reduction in energy use. “That is part of reacting to a catastrophe of this scale,” he explained.
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