ABSTRACT
This chapter explains it can be estimated that by the end of 1991 more than 100,000 new natural gas installations would have been set up in the Dublin city region. The decree by the Minister for the Environment in January 1990, that the sale and distribution of bituminous coal in the Dublin city region would be prohibited as of October 1990, will further this development. A fundamental strategic measure planned for the near future is the development of an Air Quality and Energy Management model for the Dublin city region, designed as a tool for facilitating and evaluating decision-making in this policy area. Since the 1979 crisis, national energy policy was directed towards reduction of dependence on imports, and diversification from oil as well as allowing free competition between fuels to maximize consumer choice and minimize costs. Dublin has had a low-level of market penetration by oil and gas in the residential sector, and practically no district heating.
