Ahern’s energy production promise

IRELAND was last night on course for a green energy revolution as Taoiseach Bertie Ahern pledged to more than double electricity production from renewable sources by 2020.

The target would see supplies from environmentally-friendly providers like wind farms soar from 13% to 30% of the national total.

Mr Ahern said the move was needed due to potential threats to energy importation in the future and the country’s 90% dependence on fossil fuels.

He said the energy issue had jumped to the top of the European Union’s priorities in the past year due to terrorist threats and dependance on imports fromunstable parts of the world.

The Green Party called for the Government to set higher targets and dismissed the move as a pre-election “gimmick”.

Mr Ahern said threats to energy supplies were pushing up prices and making alternatives more attractive.

“The price increases are inevitable and we have to be looking at alternatives and what we can do with renewables and technology and looking to where the future will bring us,” Mr Ahern said at Fianna Fáil’s parliamentary “think-in” at Westport, Co Mayo.

The announcement followed an hour-long talk at the gathering given by controversial Oxford economics professor Dr Dieter Helm.

Dr Helm recently advised British Premier Tony Blair on expanding Britain’s nuclear power plant network, but said this option would be wrong for Ireland.

The Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources Noel Dempsey stressed there was no single solution to Ireland’s power needs.

“Ireland has very specific and unique structural features to take into account. We are a small, isolated market but we have a very high demand. We have high labour costs and low plant availability,” he said.

The Government is to bring out a discussion paper on energy policy before Christmas.

However, Green TD Dan Boyle said: “It is a step in the right direction, but we want all party support for half of our needs to be met by renewable sources by 2050.”