Written answers

Wednesday, 26 May 2010

Department of Agriculture and Food

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

10:30 am

Photo of Seán FlemingSeán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Question 84: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the part bioenergy will play in reducing Ireland's national emissions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21861/10]

Photo of Brendan SmithBrendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Bio-energy crops contribute to emissions reduction through the provision of low or carbon neutral fuels. My Department has been providing support to farmers through a Bioenergy Scheme since 2007. A pilot Bioenergy Scheme was launched in 2007 to support the planting of miscanthus and willow by giving farmers a grant up to a maximum of €1,450 per hectare to cover 50% of establishment costs. Grants were paid in two instalments – 75% following establishment of the crop and 25% in the year after establishment. The pilot Scheme supported 364 farmers in the planting of some 2,500 hectares (2,100 miscanthus and 360 willow) to the end of 2009 at a cost of some €2.9 million. Ireland's climatic and soil conditions are very suitable for the production of both willow and miscanthus, both of which are deemed to be carbon neutral as the CO2 released on combustion is equal to that taken from the atmosphere during its lifetime.

A new Bioenergy Scheme, co-funded by the EU under the Rural Development Programme, was launched in February 2010 to build on the progress made during the pilot phase. Under this Scheme farmers receive a grant up to a maximum of €1,300 per hectare to cover 50% establishment costs (reflecting the reduction in crop establishment costs since the launch of the Pilot Scheme). It is expected that in the region of a further 850 hectares will be planted in 2010 under the Scheme.

Forestry has a key role to play in the bioenergy area, particularly as a source of biomass for heat and energy generation. There has been significant expansion in the use of wood biomass in recent years. In 2008, for example, the use of wood chip for heating grew by almost 40%. Continued afforestation will provide the potential to supply of 2 million tonnes of wood biomass annually for renewable energy by 2020.There is also, significant potential for product substitution by utilising wood to replace more energy intensive products such as steel and plastics.

Forestry also contributes to reducing Ireland's national emissions target through carbon sequestration. In 2008, the net contribution of Ireland's Kyoto eligible forests - that is, new forests planted from 1990 onwards - amounted to 2.75 million tonnes CO2. Assuming that carbon cost €17 per tonne, this represents a potential saving in the region of €46 million to the Exchequer. Ireland's forests have the potential to sequester a total additional 110 million tonnes of CO2 by 2035.

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