Written answers

Wednesday, 17 October 2012

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Renewable Energy Generation

Photo of Michelle MulherinMichelle Mulherin (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his appraisal of the estimate given by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland that to satisfy renewable electricity and heat targets an additional 60,000 hectares of energy crops will need to be established; his views on the desirability of this use of agricultural land and the way in which this ties in with the Harvest 2020 targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45363/12]

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I have had enquiries made with the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources to establish the most up-to-date assessment by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) in relation to forecasts for achieving 2020 renewable energy targets. I am informed that no explicit need in terms of land committed to energy crops has been established. The actual amount required will depend on a number of factors such as the market price for bioenergy, the availability of other sources, particularly forest biomass and also the availability of imports.

Estimates made by SEAI in relation to renewable energy targets depend on a range of assumptions about the future, including demand projections, the impact of energy efficiency policy and the extent of co-firing in peat powered stations. In this context the SEAI has stated that the outcome of their analysis is a scenario rather than a forecast. For example, one such scenario developed in the SEAI publication of December 2011 Energy Forecasts for Ireland to 2020 suggests that in terms of biomass contribution to renewable electricity, meeting the requirement with domestic resources could need up to 30,000 hectares of land from energy crops. This scenario is presented by SEAI merely to show the scale required in the event that the only available resource is domestically grown energy crops. This figure assumes no imports and no contribution from forestry. The reality is that the vast bulk of the biomass contribution to reaching 2020 targets will come from the forestry sector.

The Deputy may be aware that the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Pat Rabbitte, has announced his intention to publish a National Bioenergy Strategy in the coming months. This strategy will examine all aspects of the bioenergy sector so as to inform the actions required to maximise its contribution to achieving the 2020 targets under the Renewable Energy Directive. My Department is working closely with Minister Rabbitte’s Department in assessing the potential of bioenergy from the agriculture and forestry sectors to contribute to the 2020 targets.

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