John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 584: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if there is grant-aid available from his Department in respect of the proposed project (details supplied); and his Department's policy in this area. [26440/07]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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The Government is fully committed to developing both domestic and commercial scale renewable technologies. In relation to biomass heating, support has been focussed on stimulating demand for wood heating products in the market, both at domestic and commercial level. A range of measures are in place which are designed to increase market penetration of renewable energy in the heat sector and which will support delivery of our targets of 5% renewable heating by 2010 and 12% by 2020. The Greener Homes, ReHeat and CHP programmes provide grants for the installation of renewable heat technologies across a wide range of sectors including the domestic, community, voluntary, public sector, and commercial and business sectors. These grant schemes are implemented by Sustainable Energy Ireland.

These support mechanisms are stimulating significant demand for renewable heat technologies which in turn is supporting the expansion of market opportunities on the supply side including wood pellet production facilities. I welcome the growth in economic activity in the Renewable energy sector and we will continue to support that growth through incentivising the demand side as necessary.

I can also advise the Deputy that my colleague Deputy Mary Coughlan, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, has introduced a special scheme of supports funding €1.2 million to grant aid biomass harvesting machinery, such as harvesters and chippers for processing of forest biomass.