The Government is to set a target of meeting 30% of Ireland's energy needs from renewable resources by the year 2020.
The move was announced by the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, at the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting in Westport today.
Energy was one of the main themes of the first day of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting in Westport, with energy prices spiralling and security of supply a major issue.
TDs and Senators heard from Dr Dieter Helm, a British-based academic who has advised Tony Blair.
The Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Noel Dempsey, is due to publish a Green Paper on energy policy in the next couple of weeks, and it was announced that it will include a target of meeting 30% cent of Ireland's energy needs from renewable resources by the year 2020.
Taoiseach critical of Opposition parties
At the Westport meeting, the Taoiseach strongly criticised the Opposition parties, claiming they were the most negative in recent history.
Mr Ahern told Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting that the party could win the next election if it remained disciplined, coherent and united.
Mr Ahern said next year's election would be a tough test but he insisted it was one the party could pass if members stuck together.
He said the party's message to voters would be not to risk current prosperity, and he claimed that the people would see through what he called the 'calculated cynicism' of the most negative opposition in recent history.
Mr Ahern said the Opposition would continue to complain, but that a campaign of complaints was not a platform for change.
He insisted that Fianna Fáil would set out detailed plans for the future prosperity of the country, which would allow the people to decide who to trust with the future of the economy.
