Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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462. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the extent to which electricity generation here is currently dependent on fossil fuels; the percentage of such dependency at present, and the estimated percentage in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16757/15]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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463. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the extent to which it is proposed to reduce dependency on fossil fuels for electricity generation over the next ten years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16781/15]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 462 and 463 together.

The overarching objective of the Government's energy policy is to ensure secure and sustainable supplies of competitively priced energy to all consumers. A well balanced fuel mix that provides reliable energy, minimises costs and protects against supply disruptions and price volatility, is essential to Irish consumers. Provisional figures (provided by SEAI) for 2014 indicate that 69.6% of electricity was generated from fossil fuels which are likely to remain a key component of the electricity generation fuel mix in the medium term.

The 2009 EU Renewable Energy Directive set Ireland a legally binding target of meeting 16% of our energy requirements from renewable sources by 2020. In order to meet this target, Ireland is committed to meeting 40% of electricity demand from renewable sources. Good progress is being made towards increasing the share of renewable energy in our generation portfolio.

Policies and schemes are in place to incentivise the use of renewable energy. The REFIT schemes underpin the development of a range of renewable electricity technologies. To date, wind energy has been the largest driver of growth in renewable electricity.

Currently, the total amount of renewable generation connected to the grid is just under 2,600 MW of which 2,200 MW is wind. A further 3,700 MW of renewable generation is contracted for connection to the grid, of which almost 3,600 MW is wind generation. Provisional figures provided by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) indicate that the total contribution from renewable generation to gross electricity consumption last year was 22.6%. In addition, wave and tidal energy have the potential to contribute to our renewable electricity target, provided the technologies become commercially viable in the medium to longer term. It is estimated that a total of between 3,500 and 4,000 MW of onshore renewable generation capacity will be required to allow Ireland to achieve 40% renewable electricity.

Looking to the European Union's emerging climate and energy targets for 2030, it is likely that all Member States will be required to expand their renewable electricity generation portfolios beyond their 2020 capacities.