Ahern unveils €200m green energy plan
Thousands of jobs are to be created as Ireland places itself at the centre of a global green energy boom, the Government claimed today.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern revealed €200m is to be poured into energy research and development to help kick-start a lucrative new renewable power sector.
The Government plans to invest in green energy in the hope of repeating the success of the Irish Financial Services Centre (IFSC) and the software sector that spawned the Celtic Tiger.
“We are uniquely placed to secure our economic future by marking ourselves out as a centre of the global green energy boom,” said Mr Ahern.
“This is the decision we have taken as a Government and it is already beginning to bear fruit.”
The announcement gives the clearest indication to date that Fianna Fáil has been persuaded by junior coalition partners the Green Party about the economic benefits of green power.
Ireland will model itself on Germany, which has created 235,000 jobs over the past 10 years as it shifted towards being one of the world’s leading low carbon economies.
There are also plans to cut €300m in costs off the economy every year by using less energy – with savings totalling €3.6bn by 2020.
Mr Ahern, flanked by five government ministers at the inaugural Energy Forum in Dublin, said challenges lay ahead but there was no reason why Ireland can not be a world leader in renewable energy.
“In the past, we have had great success by targeting sectors like software and the IFSC. We should aim to replicate this approach in sustainable energy,” he told 400 energy industry leaders at the forum.
“We want to take a direct, interactive approach to inform future Government actions so that Ireland becomes a leading low carbon economy.
“Our incentive to tackle the climate change challenge is all the greater because the actions we need to take will also protect our economy from future oil and gas supply shocks.”
Minister for Energy Eamon Ryan said moving away from reliance on oil and gas by investing in renewable energy would create a win-win situation for Ireland.
“Why would we send our money to Kuwait when we can keep it in Carlow? Why would we create jobs overseas when we can create them here by developing our own sustainable long term energy sources?” he asked rhetorically.
“We have a very large land base, a very experienced farming sector that can deliver energy crops, we have a very large wind resource, we have a very large ocean energy resource.
“So we have the natural resources, we can tap into it, cut back our fuel bills and create jobs.
“That combined effect can see Ireland cut back fossil fuel use, cut back its carbon emissions and create thousands of jobs.”
The Taoiseach told the forum that 90% of Ireland’s energy comes from imported fossil fuels compared to an average figure of 65% in other EU countries.
Every Irish person uses the equivalent of 10 pints of oil every day with prices now breaching the watershed $100 a barrel mark as global supplies are stretched, he said.
“We have to prepare now for a future when conventional oil supplies start to contract rather than continue to expand,” he added.
New Government measures include tax incentives for companies buying energy saving equipment and switching to low energy transport.
There will also be new building regulations to cut energy costs, a commitment to biofuels in public transport and a shift towards energy crops in farming.
The government-funded Science Foundation Ireland will now target sustainable energy, as well as biotechnology and IT, as key areas of investment.
Minister for Environment John Gormley, Minister for Enterprise Micheál Martin, Minister for Agriculture Mary Coughlan and Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey all backed the new green measures at the Energy Forum.
