asked the Minister for Energy if his Department has investigated the potential for small scale hydro schemes in this country.

A hydro-electric resource survey has been carried out on behalf of my Department and all sites which are considered suitable for development have been identified. The survey was carried out by the Electricity Supply Board who had responsibility for site assessment and by An Foras Forbartha who carried out the hydrological analysis. A report on the findings of the survey was coordinated by the National Board for Science and Technology and was published by my Department in October 1985. It is entitled "Small-Scale Hydro-Electric Potential of Ireland", and is available from my Department, at a cost of £10 plus postage. Copies of the report have been placed in the Dáil Library.

The report identifies 483 potential hydro-electric sites around the country with an estimated capacity of 10 kilowatt or greater and 85 sites already being utilised. It includes information on the location, potential capacity and output and economic feasibility of each of these sites. The report also outlines legal and other requirements associated with the proposed development of any particular site. Information gathered during the survey on approximately 3,000 other potential sites with a capacity of less than 10 kilowatt has been retained and is available to the public on request to my Department.

As the Deputy will be aware another booklet entitled "The Development of Small Scale Hydro-schemes" was published by my Department in 1982. Its purpose was to guide private developers of water power, to assist them in assessing the potential of a particular site and to give an indication of the problems and costs involved. This booklet is available free of charge from my Department.

What assistance does the Minister's Department give private developers? Is their grant assistance available to such people?

I do not have details of the actual scale of grants but I am sure that assistance is available to private developers of hydro schemes. I will be quite happy to supply the Deputy with the information.

I thank the Minister. Will the Minister say if all of the electricity generated is fed from these schemes into the national grid?

That would be a basic idea. I assume that if a suitable scheme can evolve which would supply an industry, there would have to be a facility whereby excess capacity would be fed into the national grid and that would be facilitated.

I take it it would be economical to do so?

Yes.