Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)

Companies will have to account for their fuel mix on an annual basis and if they do not reach the obligated limit, they will have to pay a fixed amount penalty per litre for the amount of the target not achieved.

The obligation will allow Ireland to achieve the EU bio-fuels directive target a year in advance of the 2010 deadline. The establishment of a further target for 2020 is in line with EU thinking on bio-fuels policy. Critically, it provides long-term market certainty that will allow market players to develop economically viable scales into their projects.

See this speech in context