Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)

Bord na Móna has already committed not to acquire new peatlands for commercial development. With regard to the medium to long-term use of the fuel, there are a number of constraints, one of which is our climate change targets. What we do in the energy area must ensure we meet, for this sector and as part of the overall national effort, our climate change targets. As the price of carbon increases, this will put certain constraints on heavy emissions fuels, regardless of what we do. The market systems will sometimes make it difficult for coal or peat plant to come into operation if carbon prices are set at a high level. We do not have control of that but it is a constraint. Any energy policy must bring us within the constraints of climate change.

There is another real constraint. In the substitution of peat in our power plants, we have an opportunity to develop a viable industry with the development of wood or other materials for burning in the peat plants. The difficulty in doing the detailed analysis of it is that even at a 30% replacement rate very large volumes of timber will be required which may divert timber supplies from other end uses for which they may be required. There is a constraint and in that it is difficult to know how we can completely replace peat in the existing power plants with a biomass substitute but it is something that makes sense because, first, it cuts our emissions and, second, it can develop a stable crop for farming. The two key constraints, therefore, are climate change and biomass alternative supplies but the company is making a clear commitment to move towards renewable energy products and renewable energy. To go back to what was said earlier about people who are experts——

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