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Alternative Energy Projects

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 December 2013

Tuesday, 3 December 2013

Questions (350)

Andrew Doyle

Question:

350. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in view of the lack of commercial outlets for willow and miscanthus biomass and the €3.5 million in grant aid, if he has reviewed the cost benefit of planting willow and miscanthus as a biomass crop for alternative energy production as part of achieving the national Kyoto alternative energy production targets; if he has or intends to produce a joint policy statement on the production and delivery of willow and miscanthus for alternative energy production in Ireland with the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources; and if he intends to promote the use of miscanthus and willow biomass in Government buildings heating boilers, given the success of the system in Johnstown Castle. [51738/13]

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Written answers

The Deputy will be aware of the challenging targets Ireland is required to achieve by 2020 under the Renewable Energy Directive whereby 16% of Irelands total final energy consumption must come from renewable sources. The overall 16% target is broken down by sector into 40% renewable electricity, 12% renewable heat and 10% renewable transport. My Department has been providing support to farmers since 2007 to establish the energy crops willow and miscanthus. To the end of 2013 some 3,300 hectares of these crops have been established under the Bioenergy Scheme. It is recognised that the most challenging target to achieve by 2020 will be in the area of renewable heat. Crops such as miscanthus and willow, in addition to biomass from the forestry sector, have the potential to contribute to achieving the renewable heat target in particular.

Officials from my Department have met recently with individuals who have well advanced plans to establish significant areas of willow over the next number of years, beginning in 2014, to be used as a feedstock in large scale Combined Heat and Power plants (CHP). These are the type of developments that have the potential to underpin the energy crop sector in the coming years and for the longer term.

Officials from my Department are also 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, including forestry and energy crops, with a view to maximising their potential contribution to achieving renewable energy targets for 2020 and beyond.

I am very pleased that Teagasc has installed an excellent example of a biomass boiler operating on a district heating model at Johnstown Castle, Co. Wexford. The miscanthus fuelled boiler provides heat to the Teagasc buildings, to Johnstown Castle itself, and there are plans to also provide heat to the Agriculture Museum.

As regards the use of biomass heating systems in Government buildings, the Deputy will be aware that this is a matter in the first instance for the Office of Public Works. In this regard, in November 2012 the late Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Shane McEntee T.D., facilitated a meeting between the Irish Bioenergy Association and Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, Brian Hayes T.D., with a view to progressing the issue of procurement of renewable heat for public sector buildings.

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