Budget boost for bio-fuel supply chain
A top-up of €6 million will be available over the next three years. Payment will be subject to a maximum ceiling per producer of 94 hectares over the three years.
It’s designed to kick-start Irish biofuel cropping and ensure the supply of indigenous feedstock to meet demand arising from the recently announced Excise Relief Scheme.
Agriculture and Food Minister Mary Coughlan will shortly announce, subject to any necessary EU approval, establishment grants for willow and miscanthus, to compensate growers for their very high costs of establishment and the wait of several years before harvesting can begin. €8 million is allocated to support establishment costs for these crops in the next three years.
She said €1.2 million is being provided to grant aid biomass harvesting machinery, such as harvesters and chippers for processing of forest biomass.
Acknowledging Ireland is trying to establish a national bio-fuels supply chain almost from scratch, Minister Cowen also referred to the excise relief in place for bio-fuels, worth more than €200 million over five years; and grant schemes for new energy technologies at domestic and commercial levels amounting to €65 million from 2006 to 2010.
In his Budget, he has increased the planned greener homes scheme spend on new energy technologies such as bio-mass burners, heat pumps and solar panels by €20 million between now and the end of 2009.
He also extended the bio-heat scheme to other technologies such as solar panels, and non-commercial buildings, planning additional spending for the next year of €4 million, and proposed to continue the corporation tax incentive for investment in renewable energy projects for a further five years, subject to EU approval.
