Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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1110. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if there will be a price set and some form of price regulation put in place to allow persons assess the economic viability of the investment before they proceed with respect to persons that invest in biodigesters and the resultant gas production; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13561/17]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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The 2015 White Paper on Energy Policy recognises the important contribution that technologies such as Anaerobic Digestion (AD) can make to Ireland’s future low carbon energy transition. Over the last year, my Department and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) undertook a detailed assessment of the costs and viability of supporting a range of renewable energy technologies - including AD - as part of the on-going work to support the introduction of a Renewable Heat Incentive.

The introduction of a Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) is a commitment in the White Paper on Energy and Programme for Government and will be the primary support mechanism in the heating sector designed to meet Ireland’s renewable energy obligations. The aim of the RHI is to build on the progress already made in the renewable heating sector and to help reach Ireland’s 12% target by 2020. In 2015, 6.5% of heat was derived from renewable sources in Ireland.

The proposed RHI scheme is aimed at supporting larger industrial and commercial installations outside of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) to change to heating solutions that produce heat from renewable sources.

Prior to a final decision being taken on the overall costs and technologies to be supported, an analysis is underway of all submissions received to the final public consultation on the RHI which closed on 3 March 2017. Ultimately, the rate the RHI tariff is set at will be a factor of the renewable heat technology in question, the size of the boiler or unit and the sustainability and air qualify criteria that form part of the new scheme.

Before a new RHI scheme is introduced, the scheme will be subject to Government approval and State aid clearance from the European Commission. It is expected that the RHI scheme will be introduced before the end of the year.