Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 95: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the position regarding the fuel mix here; the percentage of fossil fuels that were imported in 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16644/10]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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The energy balance figures for 2009 are not yet available. The latest figures available were published by Sustainable Energy Ireland in December 2009 and refer to 2008. The figures show that Ireland's overall fossil fuel import dependency reached 91% in 2006 and has decreased slightly to 89% in 2008.

Since the mid-1990s fossil fuel import dependency has grown significantly, due to the overall increase in energy use together with the decline in indigenous natural gas production at Kinsale since 1995 and decreasing peat production. Over the period 1990 to 2008, production of indigenous gas decreased by 81%, and peat by 54%, while the use of renewable energy in contrast increased by 221%.