Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I accept that there will have to be a rules-based auction system. My question is whether, as the shareholder and representative of the public in the ESB, Bord na Móna and Coillte, the Minister sees those companies becoming major players here. A lot of that is a matter for the policy direction of Government notwithstanding that the boards of those companies will make their own decisions. In the case of Bord na Móna, it is very welcome that it is going ahead with plans for renewable energy. As the key player in the setting of the policy direction, does the Government envisage these three companies having the major role?

I refer to biogas. France has 1,000 biogas plants producing clean biogas energy while Germany has 6,000. England has 600 and we have one. We are playing catch-up there. I put the point to the Minister also that we need to start developing biomass supply chains again. I will keep pushing this with the Minister. We do not have those chains here and we must start to develop them. What plans does the Government have to do so?

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