Vol. 571 No. 4
122 Mr. English asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the reason the promised post-AER VI strategy forum was not set up in the summer months to determine the future for renewable energy development; and the future timescale for developing a future strategy for post-AER VI. [21866/03]
131 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if he has considered reforms to the alternative energy requirement competition structure, in view of recent criticism of the results of the AER VI process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22066/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 122 and 131 together.
The AER VI competition had to be completed before we could devote resources to future options. Apart from the supplementary allocation proposed this is now complete. Allocation of capacity under AER VI puts us well on the way to achieving the target set in the Green Paper on Sustainable Energy.
123 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources his views on whether the renewable target of 13.2%, which it is planned to achieve by 2010, will be on the basis of a percentage of available generating capacity or a percentage of actual power produced; and if it is the latter, the way in which he supports his claim that the contracts already awarded under the AER support mechanism will provide the country with some 10% renewable energy supply. [22176/03]
EU Directive 2001/77/EC on the promotion of electricity produced from renewable energy sources in the internal electricity market requires that member states increase, by 2010, their gross national electricity consumption derived from renewable energy sources to the thresholds outlined in the annex to the directive. My requirement will be to have sufficient renewable energy based generating capacity in place to generate this volume without reliance on imports.
The current national target for renewables is to add an additional 500 megawatts of generating capacity to the grid by 2005 and additional capacity in offshore wind and biomass-fed combined heat and power plant by 2006. This capacity, together with generating capacity from existing renewable energy plant, as defined in the directive, could increase the percentage of green electricity to over 12% by 2006 if all AER V and AER VI projects are built.
A 10% target is a more conservative assessment to allow for planned projects which do not proceed for reasons which cannot be identified at this time.
