Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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615. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the progress in meeting the overall renewables targets by 2020 under the Renewable Energy Directive 2009/28/EC, including the progress on meeting the targets for the contribution of renewables and biofuels to gross electricity consumption, transport energy and heat since this Government came to office. [44188/15]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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The 2009 EU Renewable Energy Directive sets Ireland a legally binding target of meeting 16% of our energy requirements from renewable sources by 2020. Ireland is committed to achieving this target through meeting 40% of electricity demand, 12% of heat and 10% of transport from renewable sources of energy. Figures provided by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) show that, in 2014, 8.6% of Ireland's overall energy requirements were met from renewable sources. More specifically, the SEAI has calculated that 22.7% of electricity, 6.6% of heat and 5.2% of transport were from renewable sources. Biofuels represented 1.9% of gross electricity consumption in the same year.

The following table summarises the progress made in meeting these targets since the Government came into office.