The 2009 EU Renewable Energy Directive sets Ireland a legally binding target of meeting 16% of our energy requirements from renewable sources by 2020. Ireland is committed to achieving this target through meeting 40% of electricity demand, 12% of heat and 10% of transport from renewable sources of energy. In 2014, 8.6% of Ireland’s overall energy requirements were met from renewable sources, with energy from biomass accounting for 3.2%. Bioenergy is expected to contribute up to half of the 2020 renewable energy targets, both here in Ireland and in the EU as a whole. In 2014, I published a Draft Bioenergy Plan which is available on my Department’s website. The draft Plan is currently undergoing Strategic Environmental and Appropriate Assessments which will inform the content of the finalised Plan. The draft Plan recognises that demand for solid biomass to 2020 could be met from indigenous sources. However, Ireland will remain a net importer of liquid biofuels in the transport sector.
Biofuels must meet certain strict sustainability criteria, as set out in the Renewable Energy Directive, in order to be counted towards each Member State’s 2020 renewable energy targets. All biofuels supported under the Biofuels Obligation Scheme must meet these criteria. In addition, the European Commission recently adopted a Directive which will limit the amount of certain crop based biofuels, where use could lead to Indirect Land-Use Change, that Member States can count towards their targets.
Details on origins and types of biofuels supported are published each year in the Biofuels Obligation Scheme Annual Report which is available from the National Oil Reserves Agency’s website, www.nora.ie.
