Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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236. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the plans to invest in sustainable aviation fuel infrastructure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47127/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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I am pleased to confirm that my Department published Ireland’s first Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Policy Roadmap on the 21st of August 2025, fulfilling a clear commitment in the Programme for Government.

To assist in the development of the Roadmap, the Department of Transport established the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Task Force in December of 2023, bringing together key stakeholders with responsibility for, and interest in, policy development and implementation in relation to SAF.

With the assistance of the Task Force and an extensive series of wider bilateral meetings, the Roadmap represents an important first step in developing Ireland’s national SAF policy, identifying a number of actions which will be built upon in future iterations, and setting a path for future SAF policy development.

In line with international best practice guidance, the Roadmap amongst other things, explores the importation of SAF by fuel suppliers and the potential for indigenous production.

In relation to the supply of SAF, the Roadmap concludes that SAF demand for the foreseeable future will need to be met by aviation fuel suppliers importing SAFs into Ireland. As SAFs are ‘drop in fuels’, they are blended with Conventional Aviation Fuel and are compatible with existing aircraft and fuel infrastructure in Ireland.

Regarding the potential production of SAF, ultimately it will be a commercial decision whether organisations wish to produce SAF in Ireland. I believe it is the role of the State to put in place the necessary enabling policy and regulatory frameworks to support development of critical enabling infrastructure such as onshore/offshore wind and the electricity grid infrastructure. It is recognised that confidence in our ability to provide secure, stable, and green energy infrastructure is important to position Ireland for future economic development and investment. This is because significant volumes of hydrogen are required to produce almost all SAFs.

Recognising the investment required, on 3 July 2025, the CRU published its Draft Determination on Price Review 6 (PR6). PR6 will deliver upon the Programme for Government priority to ensure that the necessary investment is made in the electricity grid. The draft determination sets out the envisaged investment, in both long-term capital projects and operational costs, which will take place in our electricity grid over the period 2026-2030. The draft determination represents a step change in investment in our electricity grid infrastructure and one of the biggest changes to the overall system in memory.

The CRU are proposing to approve an investment of up to €18.08 billion in our electricity system between 2026-2030, with a €14.1 billion baseline investment guaranteed. The draft determination will enable the delivery of over 500 capital network projects, the growth of our economy, the connection of new housing to our electricity system, the integration of greater renewable energy, both on and offshore, and decarbonisation.

Further to infrastructure, policy alignment and coherent implementation is also key. It is in this context that I see the implementation of government policies such the National Hydrogen Strategy and Powering Prosperity – Ireland’s Offshore Wind Industrial Strategy, in addition to ongoing work on carbon capture as key to unlocking green economic opportunities such as SAF production.

The National Hydrogen Strategy, published in July 2023, sets out our strategic vision for the role that hydrogen will play in Ireland’s energy system and as a key component of our zero-carbon economy. There are 21 actions set out within the Strategy to enable the development of the hydrogen sector in Ireland, removing barriers to early hydrogen project development and laying the groundwork to deliver on our long-term strategic vision, including the potential for SAF production.

These actions have varying timelines for completion by 2030 and a multi-year work programme has been developed to oversee their delivery. The National Hydrogen Programme Taskforce, which was recently approved by government, will work across government departments and state agencies, and engage with key industry stakeholders, to deliver the actions set out in the National Hydrogen Strategy.

The Taskforce sits above working groups across three pillar areas: (1) safety and regulation, (2) infrastructure and systems, and (3) markets and commercialisation. Further details on the structure of the Taskforce and its work will be communicated following its first meeting, which is expected in the coming weeks.