Despite the requirement for the State to achieve the 2020 renewable energy target of 16% the lack of co-ordination between government departments was undermining the ability of biomass to contribute to achieving this objective.
This was stated by Independent MEP Marian Harkin who has submitted proposals for biomass growing in the context of the Department of Communication, Energy and Natural Resources Renewable Heat Incentive Public Consultation.
Speaking at the National Ploughing Championships in Ratheniska today Thursday, September 2015, the Independent MEP strongly criticised the Departments of Agriculture and Communication, Energy and Natural Resources, for misleading farmers about the prospects for developing biomass as a cash crop.
“In failing to deliver outlets for miscanthus the farmers who grow the crop were left with the establishing costs but no structure for disposing of it at an acceptable price”, she said. Instead of bringing forward a comprehensive plan for including miscanthus and willow in the State’s renewable energy policy the departments involved were again deficient in their approach she said. “This is reflected in the failure of the Department of Agriculture to include miscanthus as an eligible crop in the context of the Greening and Crop Diversification elements of the CAP Basic Payments Scheme”, Marian Harkin said.
The abysmal performance of the government departments concerned with miscanthus growing had resulted in undermining the confidence of growers in biomass as a whole and this could be seen in the poor up take of the Department of Agriculture’s grant scheme for growing willow, she stated.
“While Bord na Mona, for technical reasons, prefers to use willow in its co-firing process in Edenderry there can be a bright future for miscanthus if the State assists in encouraging the development of the crop and the infrastructure necessary to get it to market”, she stressed.
Having regard to the fact that a penalty of €150 million could apply to each percentage point that Ireland fell short of its 2020 renewable energy target it was essential that the growth of miscanthus and willow should receive encouragement from government, at least comparable to that given to windfarms, she said. “As of now it seems that a single private company, Quinns of Baltinglass, have stayed with miscanthus as a major alternative crop prospect for growers. Their efforts contrast markedly with those of the State departments which, to date, have failed in delivery on the potential of biomass to contribute to achieving the vital 2020 renewable energy target”, Independent MEP Marian Harkin said.
She proposed the following as the basis for a successful biomass contribution to Ireland’s energy policy:-
(a) Immediately take the steps necessary to ensure that miscanthus will be an eligible crop in the context of the Greening and Crop Diversification elements of the CAP Basic Payments Scheme.
(b) Pay a transport subsidy to existing growers of miscanthus
(c) Pay them compensation to remain producing miscanthus, or change to willow, until a proper co-ordinated policy is developed
(d) Develop a plan whereby energy consumers who change from carbon intensive products to produce heat can access locally grown biomass
This could involve the incentivisation of local producer groups to act as mechanisms for moving product from producer to consumer and Pillar 2 TAMS funding could have a role to play in this regard.
