Tipperary County Council Signs The Covenant of Mayors

Tipperary County Council has now become a signatory of The Covenant of Mayors. The Covenant of Mayors is the mainstream European movement involving local and regional authorities, voluntarily committing to increasing energy efficiency and use of renewable energy sources on their territories. There are currently six other signatories in Ireland – Cork County, Dublin, Kerry Local Authorities, Roscommon County Council, South Dublin County and Waterford County Council

By becoming a signatory, Tipperary County Council have committed to implementing a Sustainable Energy Action Plan for the county, with the aim of cutting CO2 emissions by at least 20% by 2020.

The Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP) is a strategic policy document that outlines the vision of County Tipperary in relation to exceeding the 2020 EU targets. It will set out the current baseline data of County Tipperary, where energy is currently used per sector, and will specify a specific C02 emissions reduction target for the county as a whole, to better the 2020 targets. The Sustainable Energy Action Plan will also outline a set of actions, which are all the necessary steps required to achieve these targets, along with indicative budgets, timeframes and assign responsibility to each action, to ensure the success of the Plan.

Earlier in the year, Tipperary Energy Agency & Limerick Institute of Technology, in association with Tipperary County Council, hosted an information exchange event on The Covenant of Mayors. This event was directed at the Mayors of each County, County Managers, local authority staff members & others who will be working on behalf of the councils to become signatories. The aim of the event was to encourage more Local Authorities to make similar commitments to climate change targets. The Covenant Of Mayors provides a platform for  Local Authorities, private sector businesses, citizens & grass root organisations to work together to improve quality of life for all citizens by increasing energy efficiency and renewable energy supply.

After the event, Joe MacGrath, Chief Executive of Tipperary County Council said “Tipperary County Council is fully committed to working with partner groups such as the Local Community Development Committee, Tipperary Leader Companies, business networks and Tipperary Energy Agency, to seek to ensure a sustainable future for our communities. We hope that today’s event has helped our collective potential to achieve this. Much positive work is already taking place. Local Authorities, working with our partners, can coordinate these efforts to ensure that climate change targets are met while maximising local sustainable economic growth”