Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)

This is an international issue because all the main energy companies are now investing in what is called clean energy finance. Investment in this area has gone from about €24 billion in 2006 to roughly €110 billion last year, a massive growth. There is enormous interest where any research initiative is exhibited by international financial people to determine who gets the technology to develop it. We are keeping our eyes on what developments are occurring internationally.

In terms of sugar beet and the use of ethanol as a development technology, this again is a highly scientific area and one must comply with the conditions the EU is seeking, namely, an assessment of the emission returns, which can otherwise be defined in terms of the return on energy investment, and the source. The Brazilian Government maintains ethanol produced in Brazil gives a much higher return in terms of the reduction in emissions than similar Irish technology. That has to be proven and tested.

Going back to what we discussed earlier in terms of the food price rises that are occurring, the real problem is developing around ethanol because the use of corn and maize for its production in the mid-west of the United States in particular is driving up prices, as well as oil prices generally, since oil is an input for food production.

This is something we can discuss in more detail when we come to debate our biofuels obligation, but I am reluctant to hang my hat on any single technology at present, particularly where one is competing against Brazil directly. The Brazil technology is based on sugar cane, which fits the sustainability criteria, as long as rain forests are not being knocked down, and they have a much higher return on their energy inputs. However, that is not to rule it out. Where we had the infrastructure in place, it made sense to use it. Whether it may be retrospectively introduced is something we have to look at in more detail.

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