Mr. Cillian O'Donoghue:

I will respond to Deputy Troy's three questions on wind, solar and farming biogas. On wind, Denmark is a good country to use as an example. It went very much pro-wind over a decade ago. I do not know the numbers off the top of my head but I think more than 50% of its generation is wind. It is a good country to take inspiration from. I repeat that the obstacles are permitting and supply chains. On permitting, at EU level we have come with a new proposal to speed up permitting processes. That is now going through the European Parliament in what is called co-decision. The idea is that when this is approved, one can hold up a project for a maximum of two years. There is the principle of an overriding public interest, which means that in designated go-to accelerated areas, the project can only be held up for two years. We think it would help a lot and we ask for Ireland's support for that as it goes through co-decision.

Solar makes a lot of sense. The REPowerEU strategy came with a solar power strategy. We should put solar on rooftops wherever we can and wherever it makes sense we should do it. Again, there are some supply chain issues with silicone from China and so on but we think we should put solar wherever it makes sense. Some Irish MEPs, particularly Mr. Seán Kelly, MEP, who is based in Brussels, is also pushing solar and we work with his office on that and fully support it.

On farming an renewable gas, the REPowerEU strategy thinks we can have 35 billion cubic metres of renewable gases by 2030. There is potential there. More broadly speaking, and in the long term, at Eurelectric we see big potential for a win-win between energy production and farming going forward. There is a lot of farming land and if we can find a way, a sweet spot, for it to be a win-win for both farmers and energy producers, it will have a lot of potential. In the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, review, we should integrate the energy dimension for farming and see what can be done there to have energy as a source of income or a win-win for farming.