Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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113. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the action being taken to explore the possibilities of treatment and extraction from wastewater, which has great potential as a sustainable resource. [31762/15]

Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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Ireland’s energy policies recognise the importance of waste material as an energy resource. Both the Alternative Energy Requirement and Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariff schemes support electricity generated from landfill gas and the biodegradable element of municipal solid waste as well as energy from anaerobic digestion (AD). Anaerobic digestion is a technology that can be used to produce energy from organic material including byproducts of wastewater treatment such as sewage sludge. These are now established technologies and are making a contribution to Ireland’s renewable energy targets.

In terms of further developing waste as an energy resource, the draft Bioenergy Plan, published by the Minister last year, recommends that the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government would endeavour to optimise the availability of waste for energy production.

The forthcoming Energy Policy White Paper, which will be published before the end of the year, will provide a solid policy foundation to encourage more energy innovation, research, development and deployment in Ireland.