Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank our speakers. The sum total of their contributions vividly illustrates the long-term opportunity Ireland has and the short-term difficulties it has to overcome.

What is the best location for date centres from a European perspective? The need for data centres is clear, but we are trying to deliver them in an environmentally effective way. Some argue that Ireland is well located for that. As Dr. Carton stated, we have substantial long-term opportunities to build at scale in renewables and producing hydrogen but in the short term we have some tightness. I am interested to hear from Dr. Carton and others about the best way to design a path to this. Dr. Bresnihan said there could be a reaction against large-scale wind farms. On the hand other, if we are to fulfil the ambition relating to hydrogen to which he referred, we will have to deliver at scale. I am trying to understand the pathway to do this effectively. In an ideal world, we would have no fossil fuel reliance. Until we have either storage or hydrogen production, however, I presume we are somewhat dependent on specially designed gas to be available when the wind does not blow and the sun does not shine.

I am interested in another matter a couple of speakers touched on. What role ought carbon pricing play in the future? The Government has committed to increasing it progressively. Others question that but I struggle to see how we can deliver our ambitions without carbon prices rising.