Minister for Environment Denis Naughten’s address at the Energy in Agriculture Conference organised by Teagasc and the IFA failed to impress farmers and the business community. It had been widely anticipated that he would give farmers some clarity around where Government saw its role in the renewable sector – a sector that, as Matt Dempsey comments has largely been dominated by windfarm developers. Instead, it was a case of kicking the can further down the road with promises of more detail towards the end of the year – effectively leaving the sector in limbo.

While those with an interest in solar or biogas projects went home empty-handed, the minister did make a number of positive comments in relation to the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). What is clear is that there is a plan and team in place to advance the RHI scheme and while progress may be slower than hoped, a timeline has now been outlined.

Added to this, the minister’s comments on the need for community involvement in renewable projects will also be welcomed, as will the decision to focus on heat generated rather than boiler size.

Meanwhile, one of the key roles of the new Bord na Mona bioenergy division will be to prove to farmers that there is the opportunity for a biomass sector that will deliver a real return to the primary producer – this may prove a bigger challenge than anticipated. It would be unsustainable for Irish power stations to be running on biomass imported from all over the world.