Ireland and France Bolster Renewable Energy Ties

Ireland and France have signed an agreement in Paris at the International Energy Agency (IEA) biannual Ministerial Meeting to strengthen their ties and grow cooperation in the field of renewable energy.

The agreement follows a successful development of the Ireland France roadmap including the establishment of the Ireland France Sustainable Energy Forum which was agreed by French Prime Minister Valls and An Taoiseach in May 2015. The roadmap identifies areas for collaboration in the energy sectors’ role in the transition to a low carbon future.

In the context of the Ireland France roadmap, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and the French Agency for Environment and Energy Management (ADEME) signed an interagency agreement providing for cooperation in the areas of renewable energy, and marine energy in particular, smart grids and energy efficiency.

Ireland’s Minister for Energy Alex White and his French counterpart Ségolène Royal also signed a bilateral agreement on the reciprocal holding of emergency stocks of crude oil and petroleum products.

“These two agreements build on existing cooperation between Ireland and France in energy security. They also mark a deepening of our partnership on energy efficiency and renewable technology, in particular in the area of marine energy and smart grids,” Minister White said.