Written answers

Tuesday, 17 January 2017

Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

Electricity Generation

Photo of Brian StanleyBrian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein)
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1502. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the origins of the foreign wood chips or pellets being burned in power stations here; and if these are from sustainable forests. [1307/17]

Photo of Denis NaughtenDenis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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The fuel used in power stations is a matter for the operators involved and I have no role or function in this regard. However, I do understand that biomass, such as wood pellets and woodchips, imported into Ireland must meet the EU Timber Requirements which ensure that the timber was legally harvested in the country of origin.

Though sustainability criteria exist for biofuels used in the transport sector as set out the Renewable Energy Directive (RED), currently there are no equivalent sustainability criteria for solid biomass such as wood chips and wood pellets. The European Commission has published recommended sustainability criteria for solid biomass in its Communication SEC(2010)66. It is it is left up to each Member State whether or not to include these when introducing subsidies for bioenergy and this issues is being considered in the development of the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme, which is to undergo public consultation.

Additionally, the European Commission is proposing to reinforce the current sustainability criteria  to include solid biomass through the proposed LULUCF (Land use, land-use change and forestry) Regulation and the proposed recasting of the Renewable Energy Directive. Both of these proposals were published in the second half of 2016. 

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