Water: The future of Ireland’s water
Tuesday, February 7th, 2012Water provision is undergoing radical reform in order to conserve it, improve its quality and cut delivery costs. eolas reports. “Our current model of water provision, where unlimited quantities of an expensive product are provided at no charge, is simply not sustainable,” the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government’s consultation document states. A six-week consultation on the creation of new state-owned water company Irish Water, and the implementation of water meters to charge for water use, ends on 24 February. Irish Water is to take over the water investment...[full story]
Water: Arthur Cox on Ireland’s water services
Tuesday, February 7th, 2012Introduction Water investment is an imperative for the Irish Government from both an environmental and a financial perspective, not least to enable us to meet one of the conditions of the programme with the EU/IMF. The way water infrastructure is delivered, maintained, managed and paid for is about to undergo seismic change in Ireland. Creative and credible solutions to promote water infrastructure delivery and find the money to deliver it, are crucial. The combination of the EU/IMF requirement to look at this sector and the difficulty in securing debt funding means it...[full story]
Water: The cost of water
Tuesday, February 7th, 2012Meadhbh Monahan examines the Government’s plans for water charging. “90 per cent of all houses will be metered by 2014 before the meter is switched on,” Environment Minister Phil Hogan has said. A public consultation on the proposed approach to water charges and water metering ends on 24 February. Under the terms of the EU-IMF memorandum of understanding, the State has committed to introducing water charges. The Programme for Government provides for the introduction of a fair funding model to deliver clean and reliable water. The Government says it will install water meters...[full story]
Water: Kelda Water Services
Tuesday, February 7th, 2012Kelda Water Services (KWS) is a leading water and waste water contract operator, delivering large scale and long term solutions in Ireland and across the UK. KWS’s success comes from being part of Kelda Group – owner of Yorkshire Water, one of the UK’s leading water and waste water companies and Loop, an award winning billing and customer contact centre. Kelda Group has for many years set the industry benchmark in: Innovation and technology Operational efficiency Asset and capital programme management Customer service excellence KWS has in excess of 200 staff delivering...[full story]
Water: Philip Lee
Tuesday, February 7th, 2012Correct water pricing policies and appropriate metering are essential in order to ensure high quality water supplies, writes Philip Lee. The immediate future promises to be challenging for the Irish water sector. The PwC Phase 1 report on Irish Water is unequivocally in favour of creating a new entity to own and manage the supply and treatment of water and waste water in Ireland. The Department of the Environment has reserved its position pending the outcome of a further consultation process and the publication of the Phase 2 PwC report. Add to this the Government’s proposal to...[full story]
Water: Bord na Móna’s bid to deliver water services in Ireland
Tuesday, February 7th, 2012In a follow-up to a recent cover feature, eolas looks at the progress of Bord na Móna’s bid to deliver water services in Ireland. In the November 2011 issue of eolas, Gabriel D’Arcy made a strident case for his company to take on the delivery of water services. Bord Na Móna is well placed to take on the mantle of the new Irish Water company. The semi-state company is in good shape financially with a cash balance of €200 million at the end of its last financial year (March 2011). Its debt levels are well below of other semi-states which gives it flexibility on its balance...[full story]
Counting on the future: Provisional census trends
Friday, August 19th, 2011The provisional figures for Census 2011, revealing the highest population in 150 years, could have big implications for the future. Stephen Dineen reports. In July the provisional figures for the 2011 Census were published, less than three months after census night. Figures were released on the number of people at electoral division, county and regional level, as well as the number of births, deaths and migration levels for the same areas over a five year period. With an increase of 8.1 per cent since 2006, Ireland now has a population of 4,581,269. This represents an increase of 17...[full story]
Cork: The case for an Environmental Climate Change Park
Friday, August 19th, 2011Environmental consultant Declan Waugh outlines the local response to his proposal for an Environmental Climate Change Park in Skibbereen. Land and water are intrinsically linked and nowhere more than in Skibbereen through which the River Ilen meanders its way to the sea. Skibbereen, County Cork, is the most southerly town in Ireland, once part of the Gaelic lordship of the McCarthy Chieftains and ‘Capital of the Carberies’, it has a long history of flooding associated with the River Ilen and its tributaries. Its Irish name, An Sciobairín, means ‘little boat harbour’ and in the...[full story]
Public affairs: Universal energy access: UNIDO
Friday, August 19th, 2011Morgan Bazilian, Special Adviser to the Director General of the UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and former adviser to Eamon Ryan, discusses how UNIDO is working to help governments in developing countries provide energy to large populations who are without power. Energy is becoming a priority for the UN, according to Morgan Bazilian, who spoke at the annual Energy Ireland conference in June. Three billion people (half the world’s population) are without access to everyday energy for cooking, cleaning and heating their homes; therefore, UNIDO is working with developing...[full story]
