Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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221. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the steps he is taking in order to ensure the Whitegate Oil Refinery is maintained as an operable refinery for the future integrity of the State, and in particular in relation to significant proposals which have been put forward which would help the Government reach its 2020 target with regard to biofuels, and yield improvement projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42096/15]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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The owners of the refinery, Phillips 66, advised my Department in October that they were putting the Whitegate refinery up for sale. A refinery sale would be a commercial matter between Phillips 66 and a potential purchaser. As this process is underway Whitegate will continue to be operated on a business as usual basis. The Government views the continued operation of the Whitegate refinery on a commercial basis as highly desirable from an energy security and economic perspective. Security of supply remains a fundamental tenet of our energy policy. I am in contact with my Ministerial colleagues to discuss the importance of continued operations at the facility.

The 2009 Renewable Energy Directive sets all Member States a binding target that at least 10% of the energy used in the transport sector must come from renewable sources by 2020. Ireland aims to meet this target mainly through the use of sustainable biofuels with electric vehicles also making a contribution.

The Biofuels Obligation Scheme was introduced in July 2010 and obliges the road transport fuel industry to ensure that a certain amount of the fuel placed on the Irish market is biofuel. The scheme also offers increased incentives for biofuels produced from waste materials and residues. I understand the refinery owners have been considering the potential for Whitegate to operate as a biorefinery. As a private entity, such an investment project is a matter for the owners. The increasing requirement for biofuels to meet Ireland's 2020 target can afford opportunities for indigenous producers, including the refinery, particularly those which produce biofuels from wastes and residues.