Written answers

Thursday, 12 June 2014

Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

Alternative Energy Projects

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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18. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the extent to which alternative energy generating requirements are being met; the degree to which EU deadlines or other international agreements are attainable over the next ten years; if economic growth calculations have been borne in mind in the context of any projections; if wind, wave or other alternatives are being considered; the extent to which a cost benefit analysis has been undertaken; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24726/14]

Photo of Pat RabbittePat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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The overarching objective of the Government's energy policy is to ensure secure and sustainable supplies of competitively priced energy to all consumers. Ireland is currently heavily reliant on imported fossil fuels to meet our energy needs. While it is acknowledged that fossil fuels will remain part of the energy mix for some time to come, progress is being made towards increasing the share of renewable energy in our generation portfolio. The 2009 EU Renewable Energy Directive set Ireland a legally binding target of meeting 16% of our energy requirements from renewable sources by 2020, to be achieved through 40% renewables in electricity, 12% in heat and 10% in transport. In 2012, renewable energy in electricity was 19.6%, in heat it was 5.2%, and in transport it was 3.8%. Analysis of options for increased use of renewable energy as we approach 2020 and beyond is ongoing, with a view to ensuring that our ambition is both sustainable, and economically and technically feasible. For example, analysis is being undertaken by my Department, the SEAI, EirGrid and the CER to further assess the costs and benefits associated with achieving 40% renewable electricity generation in 2020, compared to a scenario where renewable electricity remains at 2013 levels. This ongoing analysis will inform a report to be published shortly, and builds on existing work in this area such as the recently published SEAI report on Quantifying Ireland’s Fuel and CO2 Emissions Savings from Renewable Electricity in 2012, which found that the value of the fossil fuels not consumed in the Republic of Ireland in 2012 as a result of renewable electricity generation is estimated at €245 million, with the value of avoided CO2 emissions being a further €15 million. In terms renewable electricity generating options raised by the Deputy, to date wind energy has been the largest driver of growth in renewable electricity, contributing most towards the achievement of the 2020 target. Provisional figures for 2013 indicate that 16.4% of electricity demand was met by wind generation. At the end of 2013, the total amount of renewable generation connected to the grid was 2,300 MW. It is estimated that a total of around 4,000 MW of onshore renewable generation capacity will be required to allow Ireland to meet its 40% renewable electricity target. Currently, over 3,000 MW of renewable generation has taken up connection offers under the Gate 3 grid connection programme.

Our electricity system must be planned and developed so that it is adequate to meet future demand. Furthermore, energy infrastructure projects typically have long lead in times. Therefore, forecasts of economic growth are a critical factor in determining the on-going process of network planning and development carried out by EirGrid. EirGrid also uses this information to monitor the outlook for generation adequacy on a rolling ten year basis. In addition, the National Renewable Energy Action Plan, in which Ireland had to set out its trajectory for meeting its EU 2020 target, set out initial forecasts of demand for the years to 2020 to illustrate the amount of renewable generation that would be required to meet our EU target. In light of the economic downturn those figures have been revised in the second NREAP progress report produced by my Department earlier this year.

Looking out to the period beyond 2020, it is clear that there is potential to increase the diversity of our renewable generation portfolio. To this end, the Offshore Renewable Energy Development Plan (OREDP), which I published in February, identifies the sustainable economic opportunity for Ireland in the period to 2030 of realising the potential of our indigenous offshore wind, wave and tidal energy resources. The Strategic Environmental Assessment carried out for the OREDP found that 4,500 MW of offshore wind and 1,500 MW of wave and tidal generation could be sustainably developed in Irish waters.

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