Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 351: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources his views on the proposal made at the EU summit on 24 March 2006 to consider raising the target for share of renewable energies to 15% by 2015 and the share of biofuels to 8%; and his views on whether these would constitute a viable target for Ireland. [30796/06]

Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)
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I recently announced an ambitious programme to almost treble the contribution from renewable energy sources from 5.2% of gross electricity consumption in Ireland in 2004 to 15% by 2010, some five years in advance of the target discussed at the Spring Council meeting. This is a challenging but viable target. We have gone further again in stating in the Green Paper on Energy Policy published on 1 October our commitment to an ambitious target of 30% by 2020.

With regard to biofuels, Ireland, like many other EU Member States, is developing its biofuels sector from a low base. This is borne out by the fact that Member States combined reported a target of 1.4% for 2005, which is below the Directive's indicative target. The Commission has accepted Ireland's target of 2% by 2008. The new excise relief programme is being rolled out from this year to 2010 and will enable us to reach the initial target of 2% market penetration of biofuels by 2008.

The Green Paper on Energy proposes a further target of 5.75% for biofuels market penetration by 2010. To achieve this target, a significant change in land use patterns or a level of imports may be required. The Ministerial Task Force on Bio-energy Strategy is addressing the most appropriate measures required to achieve this target and this will inform decisions on future targets including the viability of a target of 8% market penetration of biofuels by 2015.