Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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241. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he has examined converting the coal fired power station at Moneypoint, County Clare, into a biomass energy power station; if it has been costed. [8535/15]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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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. Currently the Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariff schemes are the primary means through which electricity from renewable sources is supported in Ireland. These schemes support electricity generated from a range of renewable sources and are paid for by electricity customers through the Public Service Obligation (PSO) levy.

The choice of renewable energy technology is, however, ultimately a commercial decision for individual project developers and the fuel used in the plant at Moneypoint is a matter for the operator. I am advised, however, that there are a number of important issues that would demand further consideration before biomass could be used at Moneypoint. These include the following:

- the conversion of Moneypoint to biomass would require significant levels of capital investment by the operator;

- support tariffs substantially higher than those available for wind, which has been the most cost effective renewable technology in the Irish electricity market, would be required which would lead to increased electricity prices;

- substantially more biomass than is available domestically would be required with large amounts of the resource having to be imported leading to uncertainty in terms of security of supply. The sustainability of transporting large amounts of imported biomass would require consideration; and

- the commitment of substantial amounts of biomass to Moneypoint would divert scarce biomass away from the renewable heat sector, where biomass can be used more efficiently and where fewer alternative technologies exist.