Latest news with #PSO
Belfast Telegraph
19 hours ago
- Business
- Belfast Telegraph
Derry to Dublin air route expected to re-open ‘next year', says Irish minister
Foyle MP Colum Eastwood tonight has welcomed progress on the restoration of the route following a meeting between Irish Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien and City of Derry Airport today. Mr O'Brien has confirmed that he expects services to commence later in 2026. Mr Eastwood said: 'This is great news for Derry and it's another important part of enhancing connectivity between every part of the island to drive investment, create jobs and deliver more opportunities for people in the North West. 'The Irish Government set out a clear and positive commitment to establish a new public service obligation route between Derry and Dublin in the Programme for Government this year and I am delighted that Minister Darragh O'Brien and others have wasted no time in rolling up their sleeves and getting to work. 'This is a great example of how prioritising investment across our shared island can deliver for people and communities in every part of Ireland. I'm looking forward to continuing to work with the Minister and the whole Irish Government to deliver on shared priorities.' Earlier, Mr O'Brien met with the Chief Executive of Derry City and Strabane District Council John Kelpie and management of City of Derry Airport. They discussed the progress to date on the service between Dublin and Derry City airports, and the preparatory work under way. Mr O'Brien said: 'In the context of building our shared Island, the Programme for Government includes a very clear commitment to engage with relevant stakeholders to establish air connectivity between Dublin and Derry City airports. "We had a very constructive meeting today on progressing this commitment, and once the preparatory work is completed, I expect services will commence later in 2026 following a procurement process.' Irish Department of Transport officials are also engaging closely with colleagues in the Shared Island Unit, Stormont's Department for the Economy, the UK Department for Transport, and the European Commission in relation to any State aid implications and obligations. A Market Sounding Exercise is planned by the Department this year, to better inform the level and frequency of services that may be required on this Public Service Obligation (PSO) air route. Attendees at today's meeting were Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport Charlie McConalogue; Donegal County Council Chief Executive John McLaughlin; Chief Executive of Derry City and Strabane District Council John Kelpie; Chairman of City of Derry Airport Albert Harrison; Deputy Chairman of City of Derry Airport Paul Byrne; Director of City of Derry Airport Seamus Neely; Managing Director of City of Derry Airport Steve Frazer; and Department of Transport officials.
Business Recorder
6 days ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
Farmers start receiving tractors under wheat support programme
LAHORE: The Punjab government has started distributing green tractors among farmers under its wheat support programme to encourage wheat cultivation across the province. A total of 1,000 tractors are being handed over through a transparent balloting process. Speaking at a distribution ceremony held in Multan as part of the 'Grow More Wheat' campaign, Punjab Agriculture Minister Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani said the Chief Minister of Punjab has introduced a landmark Rs27 billion package to promote wheat farming and increase production. As part of the wheat production competition, farmers at the provincial level will receive an 85-horsepower tractor for the first prize, a 75-horsepower tractor for second, and a 60-horsepower tractor for third. At the district level, the first prize is Rs1 million, second prize Rs0.8 million, and third prize Rs0.5 million. Under this initiative, farmers with wheat crops on 1 to 12.5 acres are receiving a subsidy of Rs5,000 per acre. The minister added that in the Multan Division, 109 farmers are being given tractors under the campaign. He also noted that in the first phase of the Green Tractors Programme, 9,500 farmers had already received tractors. In the second phase, 20,000 more tractors will be distributed. Meanwhile, Phase 2 of the Chief Minister Punjab Kisan Card scheme is offering interest-free loans worth Rs100 billion. The maximum loan limit has been raised to Rs300,000, and landholding eligibility increased to 25 acres. Farmers can withdraw 30% of the loan in cash, while 20% is reserved for diesel. To support the scheme, 4,000 registered dealers and over 700 PSO fuel stations have been included in the network. The ceremony was also addressed by Secretary Agriculture Punjab Iftikhar Ali Sahoo. On this occasion, Minister Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani handed over keys of the green tractors to successful farmers. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Otago Daily Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Octacan to boost stocks for winter
The Presbyterian Support Otago Family Works Foodbank is running low on a slew of staple items, as it gears up for the vital Octacan collection day next week. The annual event, to be held next Thursday, June 19, from 7.30am to 2pm in the lower Octagon, rain or shine, will help stock up the foodbank at a time when more and more families are reaching out for support. Presbyterian Support Otago (PSO) social work team leader Jollene Warrington said there had been a 16% increase in the number of people accessing the foodbank between January 1 and April 30, and 1619 food parcels had been given out. The PSO financial mentoring service had also seen a 53% increase in new clients and had supported 617 people in the first four months of this year. "Our foodbank continues to distribute between 80 to 120 food parcels each week to individuals and families in need in Dunedin. Our foodbank is Dunedin's busiest and provides a critical service for the local community," Ms Warrington said. "People are really struggling out there in the community, with the cost of living, housing insecurity and electricity price increases as the weather gets colder. "As a result, donations to the foodbank are down, and we are having to buy more foods to stock up the shelves." PSO Family Works general manager Nicole Devereux said food security was becoming a significant challenge for an increasing number of whānau. "High costs of living, low wages, health issues and housing instability are just some of the factors placing increasing pressure on individuals and whānau with less support services available," Ms Devereux said. "These aren't people living beyond their means — they are people whose means are no longer enough to live on." Octacan is PSO's major winter food drive, where the community is invited to help re-stock the Family Works foodbank by donating cans and non-perishable food. This year, PSO has the goal of collecting 18,000 cans and $10,000 in donations — this is what is needed to keep up with demand over winter until the Christmas appeal. Cash donations are also appreciated, or people can donate via the website Cash donations will make an immediate difference for people in need, and all funds donated during the appeal will be used to support local families over the winter months by providing support, advocacy and food. In addition to the central Dunedin collection, the inaugural Octacan Peninsula collection will be held next Tuesday, June 17, from 7.30am-11am at Macandrew Bay playground carpark. Bring along your coins and cans to help fill the foodbank. The event will include a sausage sizzle breakfast, with 50 available free for people donating cans to the foodbank (one per person). ITEMS MOST NEEDED • Canned Foods: Spaghetti, canned meals, meats and fish, soups, pasta sauce, tomatoes, fruit, vegetables, baked beans, baby food, pet food, creamed rice, coconut milk. At present, as it waits for the Octacan collection, the foodbank is very low on chickpeas, lentils, tuna and tinned fruit. Tear-top cans are best for people living rough or without housing. • Other ideas: Toiletry items — toilet rolls, nappies, toothpaste, soap, washing powder. Breakfast cereals, jams, snack bars.
Irish Independent
12-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Levy on electricity bills to subsidise wind farms set to fall
Energy regulator, the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities, has decided to set the levy at €1.94 a month from October. This works out at €23 a year, and is half of what the Public Services Obligation (PSO) levy is at the moment. Electricity prices in this country are already among the highest in Europe However, it comes after a warning this week that household electricity bills are to be hit with an increase by at least €83 a year to pay for a major upgrade of the country's power system. Households currently pay on average €254 per year as part of their bill to help fund annual upgrades but that would increase to €337 next year under the current proposal. ESB Networks has asked the energy regulator to approve a price increase that would enable it to fund investment of between €10.1bn and €13.4bn over the next five years. At the lower estimate, the average residential bill-holder would be charged €1.60 extra per week, totalling €83 per year or €415 over the investment period. This is on top of the standing charge imposed on electricity bills. The CRU is tasked with working out how much money wind farms and solar panel operators will need each year to enable them to supply electricity. This is charged to households and companies in the form of the PSO levy. The regulator has now issued a decision paper which indicates that the PSO levy for 2025/26 has been calculated that €156.22m. This is the amount the CRU says will be required to support these renewable energy projects. 'This will result in a monthly charge of €1.94 and €7.59 for domestic and small commercial customers, respectively,' the CRU said. Last year it was revealed that the average household electricity bills was to rise by €100 over a year from last October after the energy regulator approved an increase in the funding needed to operate and develop the electricity grid. Daragh Cassidy of price comparison site said the proposed reduction in the PSO levy is obviously welcome. But wholesale electricity prices remain so high. This is why less money is needed to support renewable projects as they are already receiving enough money for the electricity they generate on the open market. 'But given how high prices remain, many households will probably be wondering why the levy is still needed at all,' he said. Mr Cassidy said the move towards net zero is going to be difficult and billions of euro is needed by EirGrid and the ESB over the coming years to help reinforce our grid in order to meet our climate targets. 'And while renewable energy should help electricity prices ease from their near-record highs over the coming years, some of the savings will be cancelled out by the money that's needed to invest in infrastructure like battery storage, interconnectors, and the grid itself to better manage all the renewable energy.' The executive said electricity prices in Ireland are still around 70pc to 80pc above where they were before the war in Ukraine broke out. It means the average household is still paying over €500 a year more for their electricity than they were only a few years ago. It is similar for gas. But it is highly unlikely prices will revert anywhere near to pre-war levels in the medium term unfortunately.
The Journal
12-06-2025
- Business
- The Journal
PSO levy reduction expected but it won't make much of a dent in energy bills for households
A REDUCTION IN the Public Service Obligation (PSO) levy that appears on electricity bills of households and small businesses is to be announced this week. The PSO levy is charged to all electricity customers in Ireland in a bid to support the generation of electricity from sustainable, renewable and indigenous sources. The annual charge is currently €42.25. It is expected that the a reduction in the PSO levy for both households and small commercial businesses will result in savings of around €23 per year for households and €90 per year for small businesses. Government sources state that this is just one small item in a suite of measures being examined to bring the the cost of bills down for consumers. 'This Government is committed to tackling high energy costs through a wide range of measures while continuing to accelerate the decarbonisation of Ireland's energy system,' they said. The measure comes as it emerged yesterday that electricity bills will actually increase by at least €83 a year to pay for a major upgrade of the country's power system. ESB Networks has asked the energy regulator to approve a price increase that would enable it to fund investment of over €10 billion in next five years, investment that a conference heard yesterday is badly needed in order to meet the growing demands on the power grid. The government has come under increasing pressure to assist homes and businesses with electricity and gas costs, with Irish people paying some of the most expensive bills in Europe. A new group, tasked with driving down the cost for businesses, met yesterday for the first time. The Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke established the new group with the aim of reducing the cost of running a business. Advertisement The forum brings together business owners, retailers, tourism operators, accounting professionals and representative groups—alongside regulators and state agencies—to look at the structural issues that are driving up costs and the steps that could be taken to mitigate them. However, for every day households, little assistance is on the horizon this year, with government stating that there will be no across-the-board energy credits this year. Irish customers do pay more, says minister Energy Minister Darragh O'Brien told The Journal this week that Irish customers, in comparison to our EU colleagues, do pay more when it comes to energy. 'We're probably the third most expensive when you average it out,' he said. The minister said he had set up an affordability task force within his department that he will be chair next week. The group is looking at options on how to drive affordability, said O'Brien, but added that how electricity prices are struck is the main issue impacting Irish householders. The cost of electricity for Irish customers is still linked at European level to the wholesale gas price, said the minister. O'Brien said he has raised the matter with the European Commission on how to break that link, but said it is a 'medium term' body of work that is needed before any changes will be seen. 'More EU states like Ireland are now producing more renewable energy, yet the energy cost itself is still linked to the wholesale gas prices. So that's something that at an EU level, I can't change that independently for Ireland, that's something that we will be having discussions on at an EU level,' said the minister. The minister said the matter will be raised again at the Energy Council in Luxembourg next week. 'There are other EU partners who would be in agreement with us that we need to reflect in our pricing the fact that we've more renewables year-on-year coming on stream, that we're becoming less dependent on gas and on fossils. So why should the base price be stuck on the basis of the wholesale gas price. I think that's a bigger discussion that we need to have,' the minister said. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
