SDCC reveals decade of climate action funding to meet national targets

SDCC has outlined its climate action expenditure over the past ten years in order to meet the statutory targets for local authorities set out in the Climate Action Plan, with millions of euros put towards decarbonisation efforts.

Decarbonisation refers to the reduction or elimination of greenhouse gas emissions from activities that contribute to climate change and includes reducing reliance on fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas and adopting cleaner, lower-carbon alternatives.

Fleet decarbonisation has been at the forefront of SDCC’s efforts to meet climate targets, with the first electric vehicle bought by the Council in 2018 and a total of €987,385 spent on electric vehicles since then.

An additional €34,650 was spent on the use of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil for vehicles as opposed to diesel, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90 per cent.

SDCC’s Social Housing Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme also aims to reduce carbon emissions through improving energy efficiency of the Council’s housing stock, which has totalled €18.73m since 2026.

One of SDCC’s three key decarbonisation projects is Heatworks, Ireland’s first publicly owned not-for-profit energy company first commenced operation in 2023 and has been delivering heat and hot water to homes in Tallaght since.

The scheme is designed to deliver up to 10MW of heat and hot water to the Tallaght area and currently delivers approximately one third of this capacity to Phase 1 customers.

Currently, the scheme delivers approximately one third of its 10MW capacity to Phase 1 customers which cost €9.9 million and was funded through the Climate Action Fund, SEAI, Interreg NWE, customer connection fees and SDCC.

The estimated carbon emissions reduction is approximately 1,500 tonnes per annum and proposals are under way to complete Phase 2 of the network, which will further increase capacity.

Another key element of SDCC’s decarbonisation programme is Active Travel, a scheme that aims to reduce transport-related greenhouse gas emissions while also delivering health, accessibility and air-quality benefits.

To date, approximately €104m has been invested by the National Transport Authority to encourage members of the public to shift from private car use to walking, cycling and public transport.

SDCC’s Energy Performance Contract, a project that aims to reduce energy consumption across six SDCC buildings with the highest energy consumption has been adopted by SDCC to progress decarbonisation works.

This project includes an allowance of €8.5m to help the Council reach its aim of reducing energy consumption by 50 per cent and carbon emissions by approximately 50 per cent, of which €14,450 has been spent since May 2026.

Solar initiatives have also been a top priority for SDCC over the past ten years with the installation of a Landfill Solar PV Array at Arthurstown Landfilll to support aftercare treatment works a prime example.

Expenditure of €55,988.37 was incurred on a feasibility study for a large-scale solar farm at Arthurstown Landfill and expenditure on this project to date has totalled €216,712.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme