Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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251. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his plans to reduce the importation of fossil fuels, given the need to meet carbon dioxide reduction targets; if he is satisfied with the attainability of existing targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16536/16]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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260. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his continuing discussions with other Departments on reducing dependency on fossil fuels, avoiding carbon penalty points and developing the agrifood sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16641/16]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 251 and 260 together.

Achieving our climate and energy objectives requires a whole of Government approach and I am working closely with relevant colleagues in this regard, including with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, who has primary responsibility for the agrifood industry.

The Energy White Paper, Ireland's Transition to a Low Carbon Energy Future 2015-2030, published in December last, sets out a vision and a framework to guide Irish energy policy and the actions that Government intends to take in the energy sector from now up to 2030, aimed at transforming Ireland's fossil-fuel based energy sector into a clean, low carbon system by 2050.

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 as we make the transition to a low carbon system.  By 2050, greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sector will be reduced by between 80% and 95%, compared to 1990 levels in line with the EU objective.  Fossil fuels will remain a progressively decreasing part of the energy mix as we transition to a largely decarbonised energy system by 2050, and significant progress is already being made in increasing the share of renewables in that mix.

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, with the latter transport target also being legally binding.  A range of support measures designed to meet our binding target has been adopted and although good progress has been made to date, meeting the 16% target remains challenging.

Provisional data from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) indicates we had reached 9.2% of the overall 16% target at the end of 2015.  In 2014, 8.6% of Ireland’s overall energy requirements were met from renewable sources and SEAI has estimated that this avoided €346 million of fossil fuel imports.

The Renewable Energy Directive sets out arrangements for Member States (MS) to purchase compliance, where necessary, and thereby avoid infringement proceedings being issued by the EU Commission, including a flexibility measure, which is known as a statistical transfer. While the precise cost of purchasing statistical transfers or any potential shortfall in Ireland's target of 16% has yet to be established and will depend on a number of factors, the focus remains firmly on meeting our 2020 targets.