Irish forestry fuel can replace oil
One area which has enormous potential to reduce emissions from the burning of fossil fuels — the use of sustainable biomass fuel from Irish forests and wood-industry by products — seems to have been completely ignored in the review and by Minister Roche in his comments as reported in the media.
With the price of heating oil soaring and some analysts predicting that oil could reach the $100 a barrel benchmark this year, the Government should commit to the use of wood-chip, wood-pellet and other biomass fuels to meet a significant portion of the country’s energy needs.
Modern automatic-feed wood-fuelled heating technology from European countries such as Austria, is now widely available in Ireland and is a real alternative to oil.
It is now feasible for members of the Wood Energy Association to offer fixed-price heating contracts for as long as five years, with guaranteed fuel supply as well as boiler installation and maintenance, with a significant saving on current oil prices.
The Government must be proactive in encouraging householders and the owners of business premises to make the transition to Irish-produced fuels for heating, which represents about 40% of national energy consumption.
It would create thousands of jobs in Ireland and reduce our emission levels as well as making a significant impact to our balance of payments through reduced oil imports
James Kennedy
Chairman
Wood Energy Association
Ballymountain
Waterford
