Dr. Brian Ó Gallachóir:

On the Deputy's first question regarding storage, I mentioned earlier that we foresee wind energy making a significant contribution in the future. However, it is not the only thing there and there are other options such as, for example, natural gas with carbon capture and storage one could have coal with carbon capture and storage. As wind energy is variable and has other issues associated with inertia it will need to be supplemented. Our analysis suggests that were we to go down the route of using such options to complement wind, one option is to use the depleted Kinsale gas fields as a storage location for carbon dioxide and essentially to add carbon capture onto the new gas power plants in the Cork Harbour area. Storage is another option and certainly is part of the mix.

Interconnection is another part of the option because we can benefit from it. The Danes have benefited significantly from this in their development of wind energy. However, at present our electricity represents less than 20% of our energy use and the focus of discussion in respect of energy policy is dominated too much by electricity. While it certainly is an important part of the issue, a bigger part pertains to what is to be done with transport and heating, which collectively represent more than 80% of energy use. I am not quite certain what the Deputy meant by radiant heat and perhaps she might come back on that.

As for the midlands, I mentioned wind energy as a success story. Ireland has not had the same experience as the United Kingdom in this regard where they have had difficulties in developing onshore wind energy. They have had significant campaigns against wind energy and as a result, they have been obliged to move offshore more quickly. This is partly from where this midlands project stems, in that for the United Kingdom, the option is to build wind capacity offshore or import it directly from onshore wind in Ireland. I agree with the Deputy that the scale of the developments proposed is something new and it is unclear how this will be received in the heel of the hunt. Another issue with the midlands wind proposal is that if this wind energy is being used to meet the United Kingdom's targets, at a certain point in the future we will need it to meet our own targets or if we do not, we might end up with more expensive wind energy. Consequently, in the context of our own needs, I am unsure for how long that contract will be negotiated. Certainly, in the short term it is envisaged that the amount of wind energy available there will be surplus to what Ireland's system can accommodate but that situation is likely to change over time.

As for public information, there are a number of areas from which public information should come. The Deputy mentioned the Government and the universities and in the energy space, there is the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, the energy agency. Similarly, public information also is provided by EirGrid, the transmission system operator and there is certainly a number of sources from which public information is and should continue to be provided.