Bioenergy needs more investment, says group

THE supply chain for bioenergy is not well linked, the annual conference of the Irish Bioenergy Association (IrBEA) was told in Portlaoise yesterday.

IrBEA president Vicky Heslop, said there is an abundance of raw material in forests that need thinning. But there is an awful lot still to do to bring it to the consumer.

“Significant capital investment, time, standards and education are needed.

“Standards and education are areas where IrBEA is the ideal vehicle, but we need more resources, both labour and finance,” she told the attendance of over 250 people from various industry sectors.

Ms Heslop said Government has begun to realise that bioenergy can provide solutions to many issues. These include climate change, energy supply security, waste management and failing markets for traditional agricultural products.

“Some sectors of the bioenergy industry are being asked to grow at a rapid rate. This is a great opportunity. But it also presents many challenges and potential pitfalls,” she said.

The overall aim of the Irish Bioenergy Association, launched in May 1999, is to promote biomass as an environmentally, economically and socially sustainable indigenous energy resource, and also to promote its non-energy related benefits.