Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 880: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the proportion of the state's electricity consumption that is currently being provided by renewable sources, and if he believes that the target of 13.2% by 2010 will be met. [29616/06]

Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)
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The Renewables Directive (2001/77/EC) obliges Ireland to develop and implement a programme capable of increasing the amount of electricity from renewable energy sources to 13.2% of total consumption by 2010. The target of 13.2% approximates to 1450 megawatts (MW) of installed generating capacity to be operational to the electricity network by 2010. Currently there are over 860MW of renewable capacity connected to the national grid. This consists of over 590MW of wind-powered plant, 236MW of hydro powered plant with the balance (circa 35MWs) made up of different biomass technologies. Support programmes put in place by the Government have more than doubled the capacity of renewable energy powered electricity generating plants connected to the electricity network in the last two years. Building on this progress I recently announced an ambitious programme to almost treble the contribution by renewable energy sources from 5.2% of gross electricity consumption in 2004, the last full year for which figures are available, to 15% by 2010. The new target will require growth in the sector to more than double from the capacity currently connected to 1650 megawatts by 2010. The additional new capacity required to achieve this target will be delivered by projects under the previous AER V and AER VI competitions and the new Renewable Energy Feed In Tariff (REFIT) programme.