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

The big risk with regard to paying significant fines is in not reaching renewable energy targets. I am confident that we will reach our electricity targets and the projections available to me indicate that we will reach a figure of 40%. It is important to remember that we are the global leader when it comes to supplying variable and renewable electricity on the grid. Currently, we can take a 60% loading of variable electricity, mainly produced from wind energy, which by the start of next year will go to 65%. Nobody across the globe has come anywhere near what we are doing on an isolated grid and we will be up to a figure of 75% by 2020. The renewable heat incentive scheme will significantly progress us towards the 12% target. Transport has been challenging and the target for 2020 is 10%, which is legally binding. It is not just about electric vehicles, it also concerns biofuel blending, on which we are engaging in consultation. We will get quite close to the targets and are determined to try to push as hard as we can to get to them. The Deputy is right in that there are potentially significant penalties that could occur or recur if we do not reach the targets.

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