Micheál Martin
Question:14. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his views on Irish wind energy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46204/13]
View answerWednesday, 4 December 2013
Questions (14)
Written answers
The overarching objective of the Government's energy policy is to ensure secure and sustainable supplies of competitively priced energy to all consumers. Ireland is currently heavily reliant on imported fossil fuels to meet our energy needs. While it is acknowledged that fossil fuels will remain part of the energy mix for some time to come, progress is being made towards increasing the share of renewable energy in our energy requirements. The 2009 EU Renewable Energy Directive set Ireland a legally binding target of meeting 16% of our energy requirements from renewable sources by 2020. In order to meet this target, Ireland is committed to meeting 40% of electricity demand from renewable sources. Provisional figures for 2012 indicate that 19.6% of Ireland's electricity demand was met by renewables. To date wind energy has been the largest driver of growth in renewable electricity, contributing most towards the achievement of the 2020 target. In 2012, 15.3% of Ireland's electricity demand was met by wind generation. At the end of quarter three this year, the total amount of renewable generation connected to the grid was over 2,100 MW. It is estimated that a total of between 3,500 and 4,000 MW of onshore renewable generation capacity will be required to allow Ireland to meet its 40% renewable electricity target. Currently, approximately 3,000 MW of renewable generation has taken up connection offers under the Gate 3 grid connection programme. The primary support mechanisms for renewable electricity in Ireland are the Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariff (REFIT) schemes. In order to facilitate the rate of build of renewable generation capacity required to meet the 2020 target, a number of changes to the REFIT 1 and 2 schemes were introduced in 2013. Ireland’s excellent renewable energy potential can also be developed for export. Expert advice and evidence shows that Ireland has the capability to achieve its national target for renewable electricity from onshore renewable generation alone, with capacity to spare. This means that there is potential for projects of scale, both onshore and offshore, that are aimed at the export market. Work is progressing well on negotiating an Inter-Governmental Agreement between Ireland and the United Kingdom for the export of renewable energy from Ireland to Great Britain.
One of the key requirements for proposals of a significant scale for wind energy export will be the achievement of the necessary planning consents in Ireland. Planning permission for such projects, which will be determined by An Bord Pleanála, must await the putting in place of a clear national planning policy framework and I have asked my Department to prepare such a framework. The Renewable Energy Export Policy and Development framework, which will be developed over the next 12 to 15 months, will provide the opportunity to integrate relevant EU Directive requirements (including Strategic Environmental Assessment and Appropriate Assessment), trans-boundary dimensions and stakeholder participation within the context of a national framework.
Separately and in order to progress the development of our wind energy resource, while at the same time ensuring that wind energy developments do not have a negative effect on local communities, the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government, in conjunction with my Department and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, is undertaking a targeted review of the Wind Energy Planning Guidelines to address key issues of noise (including separation distance) and shadow flicker. I understand draft revised guidelines will be issued for public consultation in the next week or so, with a view to a revised document being in place from mid-2014.