Michelle Mulherin (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses. I will be brief as it has been a lengthy meeting. Some interesting questions have been asked. This is a very important debate. The witnesses are representing energy companies who are responding to Government and EU policy on appropriate investment for the future. I note that Turn 180 challenges the renewable energy policy, but Ms Doolan described it best. I agree that the group should have the right to challenge the proposals.

I am from County Mayo and we have a lot of history with regard to energy. The first wind farm was at Bellacorick in 1992 and the Corrib gas project is in County Mayo. The county has the highest wind speeds and probably the best ocean energy off the coast. This is becoming an issue of national discussion, but it has already been discussed in County Mayo. These policies have been evolving and the debate is only now getting attention from the media. If we are all being honest, until something immediately affects us, we are not so concerned about it. Discussions about carbon emissions and proposed infrastructure might evince a passing interest in these matters, but that is all. Renewable energy technology has evolved and advanced, which means we should take a second look, because we are asking people in some areas to come to terms with wind farms. The 350 MW wind farm in County Mayo will be the biggest wind farm in the country and it will be built not far from where I live and near the existing small wind farm. This will have significant implications for the people in my area. If we had discovered oil in the midlands people would have concerns about the oil wells, because people regard the visual amenity of their environment as being very important.

As we try to navigate the future, there will be objections from every source. Some people campaign against fracking and others campaign against wind farms; I know of objections to bioenergy projects and also to ocean energy projects. It is reasonable to envisage that some fishermen may not be happy with ocean energy projects. Green energy and clean technology is the way to go. All the comforts of modern living require more appliances and it is a certainty that energy consumption will rise. The need to reduce energy usage will leave some people in poverty and disadvantaged. These are very tough decisions, which require a debate about energy security. I agree with Mr. Swords.

I refer to REFIT and preferential payment for wind energy. It is more expensive to set up a wind farm, but the wind is free and the farms require only maintenance. It is agreed that energy security is a problem. We have been dependent on technologies for the past 60 years which are based on fossil fuels and on oil in particular. Wind turbines were invented many years ago but it was decided to use oil to provide energy.

Perhaps we would not have had so many wars in the Middle East and so on if that had been done. However, that is history.