I propose to answer Questions Nos. 184 and 185 together.
The promotion of renewable energy, including wind energy, is a priority of the Government's overall energy policy as set out in An Action Programme for the Millennium.
My Department has hosted four competitions for rights to sell electricity to the ESB from renewable and alternative energy sources, including wind energy. The competitions were announced publicly and in the Official Journal of the European Communities. They were open to all European Union nationals.
Tenders received were independently assessed from a technical and commercial perspective in the first instance. Thereafter, the successful applications were ranked on the basis of the bid price tendered in the interest of securing the most competitive electricity consistent with attaining preset technical and commercial criteria.
ESB Power Contracting was then instructed to offer pro-forma power purchase agreements, PPAs, to the successful bidders. Conclusion of these contracts is a matter between the ESB and the successful bidders.
The competitions held to date are intended to deliver the published targets for renewable energy up to 2000.
I intend to publish a Green Paper on sustainable energy later this year which will explore the options available for meeting Ireland's energy requirements over the next ten to 15 years in an environmentally sustainable way having regard to network capacity, forecast economic growth, security of supply requirements and international legally binding obligations, such as those arising under the Kyoto Climate Change Protocol. Future policy on wind powered production of electricity will be addressed in that paper.
