Róisín Garvey (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Tá sé go deas an tAire a fheiceáil ag caint faoi rudaí tábhachtacha agus dóchasacha ó thaobh fuinnimh de. I thank the Minister for coming in today. When people talk about clean green energy, it always gives me hope. For too long, we have been addicted to fossil fuels. To see the scope of the vision the Minister has about energy and how we can become net exporters of green energy has excited me for many years. One reason I joined the Green Party was the vision we have had for over 30 years of how we can move away from fossil fuels, keep all we can in the ground, and move to green energy. It gives me hope to hear the Minister talk about the important part that west Clare will have to play thanks to our deep waters.

In 2020, 42% of our energy came from wind power, which is pretty good going for a European country. We need to double that in the next seven to eight years. We at least have a plan on paper and now we have to implement it. Not only do we have to look at electricity uses under the climate action plan, but we must also appreciate that electricity will affect transport, food and many other sectors. Our energy system will affect every single climate target we have to reach. We hope to have a renewable electricity share of 50% by 2025, so it has to increase by 8% in the next two years. Solar energy generation is to expand to 5 GW in the next two years. Offshore wind is to increase to at least 5 GW by 2030. We also have to look at our demand-side flexibility, which is a huge part of this, with the challenges of storing wind energy and flexibility with regard to its use.

The community benefit is key for a grassroots party. The energy and benefit from offshore wind has to be beneficial to the people at the grassroots. I speak for the people of west Clare in that way. Moneypoint was always a stronghold for employment in the area. We recently got great funding for a new marine development building in Kilrush, which is fantastic. This will be a game-changer for the towns of Kilrush and Kilkee and the villages in that area. That will only happen if we get the skills and training that are needed by the people who live in that area. We have the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine, MaREI, institute in Galway and Cork. I have contacted the Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board, Limerick Institute of Technology, and Seamus Hoyne, who has expertise in this area. We need to make sure that the people of Clare can access various courses without having to travel far, whether they are upskilling courses or year-long modules.

I will mention some of the skills that will be needed. I am doing this to give a taste of the scope of the employment opportunities that will be presented to the people of Clare and elsewhere. People will be doing planning and environmental impact assessments. Project managers, civil, mechanical and electrical engineers, ecologists, scientists and marine biologists will be needed. People will be employed in construction, maintenance and repair; and as health and safety officers, crane drivers, electrical and electronic technicians, energy plant operators and accountants. People will be working in transport and logistics services and in management, Marine officers, such as ship crew and remote operators of vehicles, will also be needed. There is significant potential. It is important to me for so many reasons, and not just because I am from County Clare. It makes sense for the jobs to be given to people who live in the county where the offshore development is going to happen. To do that, it is important that the Shannon Estuary task force puts pressure on this matter and gives financial and other supports, as well as guidance, to Limerick Institute of Technology, now called the Technological University of the Shannon, and to training boards. We need to make sure we work with them. I will do all I can to engage with them. I will look for supports from the Government. I know the supports exist but they need to be linked in.

Nobody in County Clare is taking on the responsibility of ensuring the training and jobs are coming to the county and will be given to the people of Clare, particularly in west Clare. The local enterprise offices exist but focus on small businesses which look at exporting. The director of economics on Clare County Council has more to do with the economics of the council itself. There is a void with regard to who will ensure the jobs are in Clare. To that end, I started meeting Dr. Simon Berrow, who is from the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, because he is the expert. Thanks be to God that we have him. He has over 30 years of experience with the needed skills. We have great news, thanks to the Minister of State, Deputy Malcolm Noonan, and Deputy Steven Matthews, with regard to marine planning areas. We have quadrupled the protected areas in the last two years in government, which is amazing. We have further work to do, and it must all happen before we know where the best place to put our offshore wind facilities is, whether they are floating or otherwise. The Green Party in government has much to do. We have to get marine planning right to make sure we put our wind turbines in the right places. To that end, we need environmentalists and ecologists as well as technicians, mechanics and engineers. It is great. We are lucky to have people like the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group and Dr. Berrow who have the information, research, knowledge and expertise that we need to progress all things along the estuary.

The Shannon Estuary task force is looking at essential building blocks to unlock the potential of the entire estuary. We hope the local economy will be powered by renewable energy, first and foremost. The task force is looking at upskilling the workforce and attracting new talent, which is important, as I mentioned already. It builds on the region's innovative tradition. We have many good traditions. The west is awake. We have always led the way. It is why County Clare is called the Banner County since the banner is at the front. We have always been innovative. We are ready to do this for Clare and west Clare. We have to lead and embrace new ways of working. There have been significant debates about data centres, how evil they are and how it is all their fault. It has been simplistic, low-brow and unintelligent debate. Being realistic, if we are to have a data centre, let us put it where the offshore wind energy will be available. That will be the best place for it in some ways. It can also help with storing the energy and electricity.There is no point in all of us being on our phones morning, noon and night even in the Seanad Chamber while people are speaking and then giving out about data centres being evil, as my colleague Senator Boylan is doing at the moment. I know she has been objecting to data centres left, right and centre, yet she is on her smartphone while I am speaking.