Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I also welcome the Government’s decision to allow this Bill to pass Second Stage, and I congratulate Deputy Colreavy and his office on producing it. I wish we could see more of this kind of approach from the Government in the future. I am concerned at the fact that an election looms. I hope this Bill will not be shelved after the election and will pass through the House. To show that the Government is dedicated to this policy, it would be a positive step to commence the next Stage of the Bill before the end of May.

This is a well thought out, comprehensive Bill which clearly sets out a way forward for wind energy in Ireland and a path towards a fully self-sustaining Ireland that produces all the energy it needs on these islands. As set out in a memorandum of understanding with the British Government, the Irish Government originally intended to set Ireland up as an offshore wind farm for Britain. Thankfully this scheme fell through, and I hope the Government’s support for this Bill indicates a change of position on this. While revenue from such a scheme would be welcome, it would be a very unambitious approach to wind energy in Ireland. It also ignores the reality that every state must do all in its power to reduce its dependence on foreign oil and gas and to develop sustainable green energy regimes based on energy produced within the State. We cannot allow ourselves be a tool in this project for the British Government and ignore our own needs and responsibilities.

Ireland is far too dependent on imported dirty energy. This Bill sets out a path to ending that regime while creating jobs and saving money and our environment along the way. It also puts us on course to achieving the EU objective of having 16% of our energy from renewable sources by 2020. An important aspect of Sinn Féin’s vision for the development of a greener future is the use of biofuels, which have the potential to warm a significant number of homes. Residential property still has the highest demand for heat in Ireland, where homes consume twice as many tonnes of oil equivalent, toe, as industrial and commercial buildings. Biofuel also presents opportunities for making transport cleaner and cheaper. The biofuel obligation scheme was introduced in July 2010 as the primary means for Ireland to meet the target of at least 10% renewable energy in transport by 2020, which was mandated by the 2009 renewable energy directive. The scheme works by obligating road transport fuel suppliers to bring a certain amount of biofuel, currently 6% by volume, to the market. Unfortunately, most of the biofuels used in Ireland have been imported. This Government should act to ensure greater production of biofuels. This should form an integral part of an energy strategy formed by the Government. I have met with haulier and public transport companies which all say the cost of keeping vehicles on the road is a major obstacle to the success of their companies. The rising price of fuel is a major obstacle to keeping their costs down. The Government can have little if any influence on the cost of fuel coming from halfway around the world, which is the present situation. We are at the mercy of international markets.

A few years ago, Dublin Bus had reduced fuel costs by just under €10 million a year, down to 1999 levels. This was a great achievement, but the price of fuel has risen significantly in these years and the fuel bill is now €30 million more a year than it was in 1999. Support for the production and use of biofuel could really help to cut costs for these essential companies. This should be part of a wider strategy which ensures that the best, most fuel-efficient vehicles are in use. Dublin Bus has started to use hybrid vehicles which have 30% more fuel efficiency than ordinary vehicles, and this is likely to improve in the future.

Through a wide-ranging focus on greater self-sufficiency and greener energy, we can make living and doing business in Ireland much better. We can fight fuel poverty and decrease pollution while providing better-value public and private transport. Once again, I welcome the passing of this Bill to the next Stage and ask the Government to commit to engaging with us on reforming our energy regime.

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