Plan to boost green energy 'lacks vision'
Tuesday May 02 2006
The amount of electricity produced from 'green' energy sources in the country is supposed to double by 2010 under the government plan announced yesterday.
But opposition parties and renewable energy sector interests said it didn't go far enough.
Dependence
The plan is expected to meet the electricity needs of 260,000 homes and reduce our dependence on oil by 2.5m barrels a year.
It guarantees a minimum price for electricity produced from green energy, allowing 'green' electricity producers to get loans and investors on board.
But campaigners say this base price does not attach any value to the advantage of green energy being more environmentally friendly.
The plan will raise the amount of renewable energy used for electricity production to more than 13pc of the overall electricity used in the country. Electricity generates just a third of the country's overall energy needs.
The bulk of the renewable energy will be produced by wind farms but small-scale hydro-electric projects are also in the pipeline.
Announcing the Renewable Energy Feed-In Tariff (REFIT) yesterday, Communications Minister Noel Dempsey said the programme would support the building of at least 400 megawatts of new renewable energy powered electricity generating plants.
But the Green Party said that was less than the amount of electricity to be generated by one new gas-fired power station - a more expensive means of generating electricity.
The plan was wrapped in too much red tape without any creativity, according to Green Party energy spokesman Eamon Ryan. "I'd be very critical of what is a cautious and bureaucratic approach when what is needed is a creative and ambitious approach. It shows the real lack of imagination as it is very limited and piece-meal," he said.
Capacity
The plan aims to double the contribution of renewable sources in electricity production, from 5.2pc in 2004 to 13.2pc by 2010, by increasing the total capacity of renewable energy technologies built to 1,450MWs, Mr Dempsey said.
"This new programme is a major step by the Government towards delivering Ireland's commitments under Kyoto." The additional capacity will need a capital investment of €440m by developers and an investment by consumers of €120m over the 15-year life of the plan.
- Fionnan Sheahan
