Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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In the Government Policy Statement on the Strategic Importance of Transmission and Other Energy Infrastructure of July 2012, the imperative for the State Companies, and all developers of energy projects, of early, transparent engagement and consultation with local communities and stakeholder was emphasised. I am aware that EirGrid is committed to public consultation and that they have been engaging in a comprehensive process in regard to Grid25 projects. Following conclusion of the first public consultations on the €500m Grid Link project, I have had a productive meeting with the Board and senior management of EirGrid. The company advises me that there has been some 35,000 submissions from the public during the public consultation. These are now being sifted through in detail and I have asked EirGrid to prepare an initial report of the main issues raised. I am satisfied that the value of the public consultation will be determined by the character of the response to the issues raised. I am committed to making a response to the public consultation in Dáil Éireann as soon as an initial report is available. I expect to be able to respond before the end of the month.

The setting of requirements for electricity infrastructure is an operational matter for EirGrid which is based on detailed analyses which appear annually in the company’s major publications including the Network Development Plan, Forecast Statement, and Generation Capacity Statement.

Energy requirements for Ireland to 2020 are assessed by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and the following table shows the latest available projections. These projections are expressed in kilotonnes of oil equivalent (ktoe) and are based on the details published in both the National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (NEEAP) and the National Renewable Energy Action Plan (NREAP) which were submitted by my Department to the European Commission.

The National Renewable Energy Action Plan projects that heat from renewable sources will amount to 12% in the context of achieving our 2020 targets. The uptake of the CHP capacity under REFIT 3, launched in early 2012, will make a contribution to achieving this along with migration to renewable heat in response to market forces. The requirements of Part L of the Building regulations are also expected to make a contribution to increasing the uptake of renewable heat. These measures and developments will build on the increases in renewable heat which were achieved by schemes such as the Greener Homes Scheme, the Renewable Heat Deployment Programme (ReHeat) and the CHP Deployment Programme.

My Department is also currently finalising a Bioenergy Strategy which will set out the actions required to optimise the contribution that energy from biomass can make to achieving Ireland's 2020 renewable energy targets. Analysis underpinning the strategy suggests that additional bioenergy measures can have a significant impact in the heat sector and recommendations will shortly be brought forward in this regard.