Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 November 2013
190. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his Department's interaction regarding the production of renewble energy sources from Irish farmland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49968/13]
View answerMy Department works closely with the relevant Government Departments and State Agencies in relation to bioenergy issues, particularly the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland and Teagasc. New opportunities and market outlets are emerging for farmers and the rural economy in producing bioenergy as a form of renewable energy. The bioenergy sector offers the opportunity to offset Ireland’s dependence on imported fossil fuels, and reduce Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions, while at the same time providing new market opportunities for the agriculture sector.
Challenging targets exist under the Renewable Energy Directive whereby Ireland is required to achieve 16% of its total final energy consumption from renewable sources by 2020. The 16% target is broken down into renewable energy contributions of 40% of electricity, 12% of heat and 10% of transport.
Since 2007 my Department has administered the Bioenergy Scheme offering grant-aid to support the establishment of the energy crops miscanthus and willow. To the end of 2013 over 3,300 hectares of these crops have been established.
Anaerobic Digestion (AD) is another area that has been supported by my Department. A Scheme of Investment Aid for Demonstration On-Farm Waste Processing Facilities was introduced by my Department in June 2006 under the aegis of the 2000-2006 National Development Plan, with funding of €4m as provided for in that Plan. In 2007, grant-aid was approved under the Scheme for the development of ten on-farm anaerobic digestion facilities. The grant-aid is payable only on completion of the work concerned and one grant of €400,000 has been drawn down to-date. Applicants, on request, are being provided with extensions until end-June 2014 to complete the investment works needed in order to draw down the grant-aid available.
My Department also provided funding for research under the Stimulus fund 2007–2013 to three projects related to anaerobic digestion which are ongoing. The price supports via Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariff for AD announced by the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, indexed and offered on a 15-year basis, have the potential to underpin the development of the technology in Ireland. The introduction of these tariffs was supported by my Department.
My Department, in collaboration with the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government and the Environmental Protection Agency, has sought to encourage the use in practice of the “product not waste” scenario in relation to Animal By-Products. Details available to my Department show that some 35,000 tonnes of tallow was used as a fuel in Ireland in 2011.
The state supported afforestation programme has resulted in a forest estate which is now providing an increasing level of renewable biomass from thinnings and from sawmilling residues. It is estimated that in 2012 over one million cubic metres of wood, more than one third of the annual harvest, was used for energy generation. National projections indicate that as harvest increases over the coming decades so will the contribution of the forest sector to renewable biomass. These activities contribute significantly to mitigating emissions from fossil fuels as well as contributing to rural development and jobs.
Officials from my Department are contributing to the development of a Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources National Bioenergy Strategy to be published shortly. This will take account of the various strands of bioenergy that are dealt with within my Department, with a view to maximising their potential contribution to achieving renewable energy targets for 2020 and beyond.
