In 2022, environmental subsidies and similar transfers in Ireland were €1.6 billion, which was an increase of €105 million, or 7%, when compared with 2021 (See Table 1).
Climate-related subsidies reached their highest value in current prices since 2000 at €396 million in 2022, up 6% on 2021 (See Figure 2).
Households received €274 million in environmental transfers in 2022, up 53% on 2021 (See Figure 5 and Tables 3 and 4).
The increase in environmental subsidies in 2022 was mainly due to increases in funding for energy efficiency retrofitting schemes and wastewater infrastructure, which outweighed decreases in support for production of energy from renewable sources and protection of biodiversity (See Table 1).
The highest amounts in environmental subsidies in 2022 were €459 million for wastewater infrastructure under the Uisce Éireann Capital Investment Plan (See Table 2.2), €287 million in Public Service Obligation (PSO) Levy support to electricity generation from renewable sources (See Table 2.13A), and €179 million under the Green Low-carbon Agri-environment Scheme (GLAS) (See Tables 2.6 and 2.1).
In 2022, 61% (€962 million) of total environmental transfers went to environmental protection activities, while 39%, or €610 million, went to resource management activities (See Figure 1).
Figure 1 shows the value in current prices of environmental subsidies and similar transfers for 2000-2022, with a breakdown by environmental protection and resource management activities. Total environmental transfers were at their highest in 2022 at €1.6 billion in value.
Environmental protection transfers peaked in 2008, decreased sharply between 2010 and 2013, and rose in each year from 2016 to 2022. They were €962 million in 2022. Resource management transfers showed an overall increasing trend from 2000 to 2018, fell in 2019 and 2020 due to a drop in the PSO Levy support for production of energy from renewable sources, then rose to their highest value in 2021 at €619 million. They fell slightly in 2022 to €610 million.
In 2022, 61% of total environmental transfers went to environmental protection activities such as wastewater management and protection of biodiversity, while 39% went to resource management activities such as production of energy from renewable sources and heat/energy saving and management.
Table 1 gives a breakdown of environmental subsidies and similar transfers from 2013-2022 by environmental protection and resource management domain.
| Year | Environmental Protection Transfers | Resource Management Transfers | Total Environmental Transfers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 554.2 | 78.5 | 632.8 |
| 2001 | 597.7 | 89.7 | 687.2 |
| 2002 | 583.8 | 108.9 | 692.7 |
| 2003 | 547.2 | 96 | 643.3 |
| 2004 | 523.3 | 122 | 645.4 |
| 2005 | 584.8 | 130.9 | 715.9 |
| 2006 | 687.7 | 128.7 | 816.4 |
| 2007 | 808.3 | 169.3 | 977.7 |
| 2008 | 1137.7 | 194 | 1331.6 |
| 2009 | 1016.3 | 182.1 | 1198.3 |
| 2010 | 1020.6 | 289.8 | 1310.4 |
| 2011 | 637.3 | 278.5 | 915.9 |
| 2012 | 500.5 | 226.2 | 726.6 |
| 2013 | 432.4 | 233.8 | 666.3 |
| 2014 | 444.5 | 257.9 | 702.4 |
| 2015 | 397.1 | 308.9 | 706 |
| 2016 | 453.1 | 383.7 | 836.9 |
| 2017 | 557.5 | 465.4 | 1022.6 |
| 2018 | 634.2 | 592.7 | 1226.7 |
| 2019 | 738.8 | 389.1 | 1128 |
| 2020 | 753 | 376.8 | 1129.8 |
| 2021 | 847.3 | 619.3 | 1466.7 |
| 2022 | 961.8 | 609.6 | 1571.2 |
Figure 2 shows the value in current prices of climate-related subsidies and similar transfers for 2000-2022. In 2000, transfers for climate protection were €2 million in current prices. This rose to €9 million in 2005, €81 million in 2010, €105 million in 2015 and €396 million in 2022. The decrease after 2018 was due to the reduced PSO Levy support to electricity generation from renewable sources in 2019 and 2020, compared with 2018. Climate-related subsidies reached their highest value in current prices since 2000 at €396 million in 2022, a 6% increase on 2021.
Individual subsidies were classified as 100%, 40%, or 0% climate-related based on how much they were targeted at climate protection. Some energy efficiency, renewable energy and forestry schemes have climate protection as a major objective, resulting in 40% of payments under these programmes being included as climate-related. A list of climate-related subsidy schemes is provided in the background notes to the release.
| Year | Climate-related subsidies |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 1.96 |
| 2001 | 2.0612 |
| 2002 | 1.1978 |
| 2003 | 4.542 |
| 2004 | 9.7853 |
| 2005 | 9.3869 |
| 2006 | 9.3311 |
| 2007 | 25.4091 |
| 2008 | 28.2306 |
| 2009 | 30.4406 |
| 2010 | 81.0603 |
| 2011 | 72.6119 |
| 2012 | 56.5965 |
| 2013 | 65.4551 |
| 2014 | 74.7289 |
| 2015 | 105.0368 |
| 2016 | 170.5228 |
| 2017 | 251.5071 |
| 2018 | 325.4938 |
| 2019 | 255.7984 |
| 2020 | 249.1791 |
| 2021 | 372.4215 |
| 2022 | 395.6213 |
Figure 3 shows the distribution of environmental protection transfers by domain from 2000 to 2022. In 2022, wastewater management received the largest share of transfers (€460 million), primarily through the funding of Uisce Éireann's Capital Investment Plan by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (see Table 2.2). Protection of biodiversity and landscapes received the next largest share of the total in 2022 at €207 million. The largest biodiversity-related scheme in 2022 was the Green, Low-emissions, Agri-environment Scheme (€179 million), which was co-funded by the EU and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (see Tables 2.1 and 2.6).
Transfers targeted at the protection of ambient air and climate received 17% of the total in 2022 at €165 million. The increase in funding for this environmental domain from 2014 onwards was partly due to increases in electric vehicle grants administered by the SEAI and Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) relief on electric vehicles (see Table 2.1).
Tables 2.1-2.9 show data on payments by subsidy scheme and environmental protection domain from 2013 to 2022.
| Year | Protection of air and climate | Wastewater management | Waste management | Protection and remediation of soil, groundwater and surface water | Noise and vibration abatement; Protection against radiation | Protection of biodiversity and landscapes | Research and development for environmental protection | Other environmental protection activities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 0.5 | 322.6 | 10 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 205.6 | 1.2 | 13.7 |
| 2001 | 0.7 | 402.4 | 11.9 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 164.9 | 1.9 | 15.2 |
| 2002 | 0.7 | 379.2 | 14.5 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 173 | 2.5 | 13.2 |
| 2003 | 0.8 | 324.3 | 18.7 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 185.2 | 3.3 | 14.4 |
| 2004 | 1.7 | 266.7 | 22.5 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 210.7 | 3.6 | 17 |
| 2005 | 2.5 | 246.5 | 26.2 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 286.7 | 3.5 | 18.2 |
| 2006 | 6 | 283.1 | 28.4 | 8.1 | 0.3 | 334.6 | 3.7 | 22.3 |
| 2007 | 9.4 | 403.5 | 32.7 | 9.8 | 0.3 | 317.8 | 6.3 | 28.1 |
| 2008 | 10.2 | 675.1 | 34 | 46.7 | 0.4 | 325.7 | 6.6 | 38.6 |
| 2009 | 3.1 | 570.7 | 34.4 | 6.2 | 0.4 | 356.2 | 8.1 | 36.8 |
| 2010 | 4.4 | 597.7 | 33 | 5.9 | 0.2 | 340.9 | 7.3 | 30.9 |
| 2011 | 3.3 | 268.6 | 26.4 | 11.8 | 0.5 | 286 | 7.2 | 33.3 |
| 2012 | 7.4 | 161.1 | 19.2 | 11 | 0.7 | 264.7 | 4.8 | 31.4 |
| 2013 | 5.7 | 136.6 | 18.8 | 13.3 | 0.8 | 216.6 | 8.3 | 32.1 |
| 2014 | 6.9 | 158.9 | 14.6 | 12.2 | 0.4 | 211.4 | 4.6 | 35.1 |
| 2015 | 16 | 172.1 | 14.6 | 12.5 | 0.4 | 140.5 | 5.9 | 35.1 |
| 2016 | 28 | 199.4 | 12.7 | 16 | 0.2 | 151.7 | 8.2 | 36.9 |
| 2017 | 47.9 | 213 | 16.8 | 14.3 | 0.2 | 218.2 | 7.5 | 39.6 |
| 2018 | 70.7 | 231 | 17.9 | 23.5 | 0.2 | 244.5 | 6.2 | 40.2 |
| 2019 | 108.9 | 316.2 | 18.3 | 20 | 0.2 | 224.7 | 10.5 | 40 |
| 2020 | 108.3 | 341 | 18.7 | 23.2 | 0.2 | 213.2 | 5.5 | 42.9 |
| 2021 | 152.7 | 363.3 | 22.3 | 41.8 | 0.2 | 216.6 | 6.8 | 43.6 |
| 2022 | 165.4 | 460.2 | 20 | 52.8 | 0.4 | 207.1 | 7.8 | 48.1 |
Figure 4 shows the distribution of environmental subsidies and similar transfers across resource management domains from 2000 to 2022.
Resource management transfers in 2022 were mainly aimed at production of energy from renewable sources (€318 million), heat/energy saving and management (€213 million), and management of forest resources (€59 million). The support to electricity generation from renewable sources was mainly from funds collected through the PSO Levy on electricity consumers (see Table 2.13A). A number of grant schemes supported energy-saving measures, primarily programmes run by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and funding for energy efficiency retro-fitting of local authority housing (see Table 2.13B). The Afforestation Scheme funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine was the source of most of the funding provided for management of forest resources (see Table 2.11).
Tables 2.10-2.16 itemise the individual schemes and payments under each resource management domain from 2013 to 2022. There were no programmes identified that were uniquely targeted at Management of minerals (CReMA 14), therefore there is no Table 2.14 included in this release.
| Year | Management of waters | Management of forest resources | Management of wild flora and fauna | Production of energy from renewable resources | Heat/Energy saving and management | Research and development for resource management | Management of minerals; Minimisation of the intake of fossil resources | Other resource management activities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 0 | 75.7 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 | 0 | 1.5 |
| 2001 | 0 | 85.9 | 0.2 | 0 | 0.1 | 1.9 | 0 | 1.6 |
| 2002 | 0 | 102 | 0.4 | 0 | 2.6 | 2.5 | 0.1 | 1.3 |
| 2003 | 0 | 77.7 | 1 | 7.9 | 4.5 | 3.3 | 0.1 | 1.5 |
| 2004 | 0 | 94.6 | 0.5 | 18.4 | 3 | 3.6 | 0.1 | 1.8 |
| 2005 | 0 | 100.9 | 5.2 | 14.7 | 4.6 | 3.5 | 0.1 | 1.9 |
| 2006 | 0 | 97.3 | 13.1 | 2.2 | 9.8 | 3.5 | 0.2 | 2.6 |
| 2007 | 0 | 105.8 | 12.7 | 3.1 | 38.7 | 5.6 | 0.1 | 3.3 |
| 2008 | 0 | 101.1 | 35.6 | 7.1 | 39.2 | 5.8 | 0.1 | 5.1 |
| 2009 | 0 | 92.2 | 23 | 7.4 | 47.9 | 6.8 | 0.1 | 4.7 |
| 2010 | 0 | 98 | 1.8 | 67.9 | 111.4 | 6.5 | 0 | 4.2 |
| 2011 | 0 | 101.2 | 1.3 | 47 | 117.9 | 6.5 | 0.1 | 4.5 |
| 2012 | 0 | 101.6 | 1.3 | 38.2 | 75.8 | 4.8 | 0.4 | 4.1 |
| 2013 | 0 | 101.6 | 1.2 | 56.3 | 65.7 | 4.4 | 0.4 | 4.2 |
| 2014 | 0 | 104.1 | 1.8 | 44.7 | 98.2 | 4.2 | 0.4 | 4.5 |
| 2015 | 7.7 | 92.2 | 1.3 | 97.5 | 101.8 | 3.5 | 0.3 | 4.6 |
| 2016 | 12.6 | 91.7 | 1.6 | 170.7 | 98 | 4.2 | 0 | 4.9 |
| 2017 | 2.1 | 88.7 | 1.3 | 267.1 | 96.7 | 4.4 | 0 | 5.1 |
| 2018 | 10.7 | 83.2 | 1.2 | 372.6 | 114.8 | 5 | 0 | 5.2 |
| 2019 | 12.4 | 76.6 | 1.9 | 144.3 | 141.9 | 7 | 0 | 5 |
| 2020 | 6.1 | 67.1 | 1.5 | 141.8 | 151.2 | 4 | 0 | 5.1 |
| 2021 | 5.7 | 57.7 | 1.5 | 431 | 112.8 | 5 | 0 | 5.6 |
| 2022 | 7.4 | 59.2 | 1.2 | 317.8 | 212.6 | 5.2 | 0 | 6.2 |
Figure 5 shows how environmental subsidies and similar transfers were distributed to different sectors of the economy from 2000 to 2022. Corporations received the highest level of transfers in 2022 at €652 million. General government received €625 million in environmental transfers in 2022, households received €274 million, non-profit institutions serving households received €11 million, and €9 million went to international organisations.
The NACE breakdown in Table 4 shows that transfers to corporations mainly went to the agriculture, forestry and fishing sectors (€306 million) and the electricity, gas and air sector (€288 million). Environmental transfers to general government were mainly made to local authorities, Uisce Éireann and the Environmental Protection Agency. In 2022, most household grants were for the purpose of carrying out energy efficiency measures in their homes or purchasing electric vehicles.
Tables 3 and 4 provide a breakdown of environmental transfers by benefitting institutional sector and economic activity.
| Year | Corporations | General government | Households | Non-profit institutions serving households | Rest of the world |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 299.1 | 325 | 0 | 6.9 | 1.8 |
| 2001 | 268.8 | 410 | 0.1 | 6.3 | 2 |
| 2002 | 296.4 | 386.6 | 0.1 | 7.2 | 2.3 |
| 2003 | 310.2 | 319 | 0.3 | 11.5 | 2.4 |
| 2004 | 358 | 270.4 | 1.3 | 13.4 | 2.3 |
| 2005 | 442.7 | 257.4 | 2.1 | 11.4 | 2.4 |
| 2006 | 485.6 | 303.8 | 10 | 14.5 | 2.5 |
| 2007 | 579.8 | 336.5 | 35.9 | 23 | 2.5 |
| 2008 | 911.9 | 370 | 33.5 | 13.8 | 2.4 |
| 2009 | 802 | 347.6 | 33.7 | 12.6 | 2.5 |
| 2010 | 831.7 | 361.3 | 103.1 | 11.7 | 2.5 |
| 2011 | 495.7 | 299.8 | 104.6 | 13.3 | 2.5 |
| 2012 | 427.9 | 222.5 | 65 | 8.4 | 2.7 |
| 2013 | 395.4 | 199.6 | 57.5 | 11 | 2.8 |
| 2014 | 375.9 | 224.4 | 91.4 | 7.9 | 2.7 |
| 2015 | 351.7 | 239.4 | 102.9 | 9.2 | 2.9 |
| 2016 | 437.5 | 275.5 | 111 | 8.1 | 4.9 |
| 2017 | 610.4 | 303.3 | 94 | 10.2 | 4.8 |
| 2018 | 743.9 | 334.8 | 133.4 | 9.6 | 5 |
| 2019 | 501.7 | 419.8 | 192.1 | 9.4 | 5.1 |
| 2020 | 477.7 | 447.4 | 190.3 | 7.4 | 7 |
| 2021 | 773.9 | 496.2 | 178.5 | 10.9 | 7.1 |
| 2022 | 652 | 625.1 | 273.8 | 10.8 | 9.4 |
From 2019 to 2022 capital transfers exceeded current transfers, meaning that more funding was used for investment in infrastructure than to support day-to-day operating expenditure. Capital transfers were 55.7% of total environmental subsidies and similar transfers in 2022, while current transfers were 42.7% and tax abatements (such as VRT relief on electric vehicles) were 1.6%.
| Year | Capital Transfers | Current Transfers | Tax Abatements |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 405.1 | 227.8 | 0 |
| 2001 | 496.5 | 190.7 | 0.1 |
| 2002 | 493.3 | 199.4 | 0 |
| 2003 | 422.4 | 220.9 | 0 |
| 2004 | 380.4 | 264 | 1 |
| 2005 | 372.3 | 341.9 | 1.7 |
| 2006 | 428.5 | 382.9 | 5 |
| 2007 | 585.2 | 384.1 | 8.4 |
| 2008 | 931.4 | 391.6 | 8.6 |
| 2009 | 783 | 412.4 | 2.9 |
| 2010 | 823 | 484.1 | 3.3 |
| 2011 | 502.2 | 411.2 | 2.5 |
| 2012 | 364.4 | 359.5 | 2.7 |
| 2013 | 320.7 | 343.3 | 2.4 |
| 2014 | 337.3 | 360.9 | 4.1 |
| 2015 | 371.3 | 327.9 | 6.9 |
| 2016 | 403.5 | 423.4 | 10 |
| 2017 | 425.1 | 578.9 | 18.7 |
| 2018 | 471.9 | 723.1 | 31.6 |
| 2019 | 598.4 | 477.2 | 52.4 |
| 2020 | 610.5 | 472.1 | 47.2 |
| 2021 | 721.3 | 721 | 24.4 |
| 2022 | 874.6 | 671.3 | 25.3 |
The source of funding for environmental subsidies and similar transfers in 2022 is shown in Figure 7. In 2022, environmental transfers were predominantly funded nationally (91%) while the remaining 9% came from the EU (see Tables 7 and 8). The largest contribution was from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, which provided €594 million in environmental subsidies and similar transfers, including funding to Uisce Éireann for wastewater infrastructure under the Capital Investment Plan.
Tables 8A and 8B shows the amounts of environmental subsidies and similar transfers funded by different government departments, environment taxes, tax abatements and the EU from 2017-2022, as well as the amounts falling under the administration of different public bodies. Some government departments were reorganised and renamed towards the end of 2020.
| 2022 | |
| Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine | 192.49901 |
| Department of Environment, Climate and Communications | 292.93027 |
| Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage | 593.79 |
| Department of Transport | 23.21663 |
| Environment Fund and Climate Action Fund | 18.497 |
| EU | 134.73175 |
| PSO Levy | 286.53726 |
| Tax Abatements | 29.02514 |
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (27 November 2023) released Environmental Subsidies and Similar Transfers 2022.
Commenting on the release, Clare O'Hara, Statistician in the Environment and Climate Division, said: "This release shows that environmental subsidies and similar transfers were €1.6 billion in 2022, the highest value in current prices in the 2000-2022 series. This was a 7% increase on the value of environmental transfers in 2021. The increase was mainly due to higher levels of support for energy efficiency retrofitting schemes and wastewater investment in 2022, which outweighed a decrease in funding for production of energy from renewable sources (See Figure 1 and Table 1).
Highest Subsidies in 2022
The schemes paying the highest amount in subsidies in 2022 were €459 million for wastewater infrastructure under the Uisce Éireann Capital Investment Plan (See Table 2.2), the Public Service Obligation (PSO) Levy support to electricity generation from renewable sources at €287 million (See Table 2.13A), and Green Low-carbon Agri-environment Scheme (GLAS) payments of €179 million (See Tables 2.6 and 2.1).
Local Authority housing retrofits were funded to the value of €64 million in 2022 (See Table 2.13B), Electric Vehicle grants of €63 million were paid out (See Table 2.1), and €57 million was provided in grants under the Afforestation scheme (See Table 2.11).
Environmental Purpose
In 2022, €962 million or 61% of total environmental transfers went to environmental protection activities such as wastewater management, protection of biodiversity, and protection of air and climate. A further €610 million or 39% went to resource management activities such as production of energy from renewable resources, heat/energy saving, and management of forest resources (See Figure 1 and Table 1).
Climate-related subsidies, which include energy-related subsidies, reached their highest level of support in current prices in the 2000-2022 series at €396 million in 2022, a 6% increase on 2021 (See Figure 2).
Beneficiary, Type of Transfer, and Source of Funding
Corporations received the largest sector share of environmental transfers in 2022 at €652 million. General government received €625 million in environmental transfers in 2022, and households received €274 million (See Table 3). Transfers to corporations mainly went to the Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing sectors (€306 million) and the Electricity and Gas sector (€288 million) (See Table 4).
Capital transfers such as investment grants made up 56% of environmental transfers paid in 2022 while current transfers were 43% of the total and tax abatements such as Vehicle Registration Tax relief on electric vehicles accounted for the remainder (See Table 5).
The two most significant sources of funding for environmental transfers in 2022 were the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage at €594 million and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications at €293 million (See Table 8A)."