Written answers

Tuesday, 19 July 2016

Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

Gas Exploration Licences

Photo of Mick WallaceMick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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812. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources further to Parliamentary Question No. 620 of 5 July 2016, his plans as to the way the energy mix is to be organised per annum up to the year 2035; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22841/16]

Photo of Seán KyneSeán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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The Energy White Paper sets out a framework that will guide policy in the energy sector from now up to 2030. It sets a vision of reducing emissions from the energy system by 80-95% by 2050. This will require the share of fossil fuels to be of the order of 26-51% of total primary energy requirement.

The Programme for Government also sets out important objectives in the energy sector that build on this vision. This includes Ireland’s long-term interests being best supported by further decreasing our dependence on foreign fossil fuels through the continued development of indigenous renewable energy.

The latest available data (as set out in SEAI's Energy in Ireland publication for 2014) shows the current energy mix in Ireland is largely comprised of fossil fuels - namely oil (47%), gas (28%), coal (9.5%) and peat (5.8%). Renewable energy sources consisted of 7.7% of  the total primary energy requirement. Other sources of energy include electricity imports and non-renewable wastes which were circa 2% of the energy mix.

It should be noted the renewable energy sources made up 9.2% of gross final consumption of energy in 2015 relative to a 2020 target of 16%.

In the medium term, fuels with higher carbon content such as peat and coal will become relatively more expensive and be replaced over time by fuels with lower carbon content such as natural gas and renewable energy. The Energy White Paper acknowledges that oil and natural gas will remain significant elements of energy supply between now and 2035.

It should be noted that the Government will not determine what the exact energy mix will be by 2035, however policy clearly shows that there will be a much greater influence from renewable sources and increasingly less impact from high carbon, non-renewable sources.

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