Michelle Mulherin (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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9. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the steps being taken to ensure that the Government objective of ensuring local employment where possible on land-based energy projects is being pursued by project developers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4115/14]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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It is estimated that the energy sector overall employs in the region of 30,000 people in Ireland.

Renewable energy, in particular, and the use of our indigenous resources is widely seen as having the potential to support the Green Economy and sustainable employment opportunities.

In terms of achieving our 2020 targets, to date wind energy has been the largest driver of growth in renewable electricity in Ireland. In 2012, 19.6% Ireland’s electricity demand was met by renewables, of which 15.3% of was met by wind generation.

Deployment of wind generation to meet our domestic targets has already begun to realise economic benefits and a recent Irish Wind Energy Association member survey indicated that 3,400 people are currently employed in the sector. Employment creation will be further strengthened in the sector as we continue to deploy renewable energy and related technologies for the domestic and, potentially, the export market.

Additionally, biomass can replace imports of fossil fuels and can therefore contribute to job creation in Ireland. The availability of competitively priced locally-sourced biomass has the potential to further enhance the opportunities for local employment in the sector. A report commissioned by the Irish Bioenergy Association in 2012 indicated that, in the context of achieving our 2020 targets, 3,600 permanent jobs could be created in the bioenergy sector with 8,300 work years available during construction and installation of biomass facilities. The report also indicated that energy imports could be reduced by 7.5%. The Government recognises the enterprise potential of the sector and additional policies brought forward in the context of the bioenergy strategy will have the capacity to further enhance the employment potential of the sector.

All relevant State agencies, particularly in the enterprise area, are co-ordinating their activities to ensure they maximise the employment potential of renewable energy projects. This opportunity has already been identified by IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland in their clean technology growth strategies.