Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 228: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he intends setting a national renewable target in public buildings through the introduction of a biomass public procurement policy as an alternative to burning imported fossil fuels which cost at present €600 million per annum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16341/11]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 229: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he intends introducing a renewable heat incentive scheme similar to that introduced in the United Kingdom in March 2010 to stimulate the renewable heat market; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16342/11]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 228 and 229 together.

The national targets for penetration of renewable energy in the electricity, heat and transport sector by 2020 are 40% renewable electricity, 12% renewable heat and 10% renewable energy in transport. These targets are commensurate with the overall mandatory target set for Ireland under Renewable Energy Directive of 16% penetration of renewable energy across the three sectors by 2020.

Schemes to date administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) including the Greener Homes Scheme, Renewable Heat Deployment Programme (ReHeat) and the Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Deployment Programme, have contributed to increasing the level of renewable heat deployment. Attainment of the national target is acknowledged to pose considerable challenges.

My Department together with the Department of Agriculture, Marine and Food is progressing a national Bioenergy Strategy, which will include proposals on how best to encourage the use of renewable heating technologies in the public and private sector in the most cost effective way possible.

In that context my Department together with SEAI, will assess the cost and benefits of a scheme similar to the proposed UK Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) Scheme.