Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

First, it is not 80%. I do not have the figures to hand but I will get them for the Deputy. We have a number of peat-fired power stations that also avail of supports. It is something that is as close to the heart of Acting Chairman, Deputy Eugene Murphy, as it is to mine. A transition is taking place to biomass there also. On the point Deputy Boyd Barrett makes on CO2 emissions, there are two important reasons to move to renewable energy. One is the need to address emissions and meet our climate targets, but the other is energy security. That is as, if not more, important, in particular in the current climate in regard to the changes in political geography of some of our nearest neighbours. They are issues I have to be conscious of as Minister with responsibility for energy as well as the issues I am responsible for as Minister with responsibility for climate. Coming back to the core point the Deputy makes about whether we are going in the right direction, it is a debate I have had with my officials in the Department. We are asking if we have the right suite of options. While we are proceeding with the renewable heat incentive scheme, we are also going to determine what renewable energy sources we should be looking at into 2025 and 2030. We are now going to carry out a review of the current renewable energy policy.

If we achieve our 2020 targets on renewable electricity, and it is likely that we will, we will have 75% of our electricity at peak wind production coming from wind, which is a variable energy source. It is known now as "the Irish problem" and to go beyond that is very difficult from a technical point of view. All these issues must be considered in that context.

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