Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is important for my part of the country that the lines of communication between the Department and the promoters of LNG are kept open. Leaving aside the regulatory issues, the major size of the project would help to transform the economies not only of west County Limerick and north County Kerry but also the entire mid-west region. It has been likened to a new Aughinish Alumina for the Shannon Estuary. There are concerns locally, however, about the delays in developing this potential win for the State.

The Minister referred to Corrib gas. Notwithstanding the regulatory issues in LNG, where would we find anybody who would be willing to make a substantial investment in Ireland given the experience from a regulatory and a planning point of view in terms of bringing resources onshore, which is regarded as straightforward in other countries? Will the Green Paper address some of the issues that arise in terms of capital investments required by companies to come into Ireland and, in some cases, the welcoming committees rolled out to meet them?

The issue of biomass and incorporating the biomass industry into the energy sector is very relevant to my constituency. The Minister will be aware of the issues arising in respect of the application of REFIT from Bord na Móna for those who cultivate miscanthus. I am interested in learning more about the relationship between the Departments of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and Agriculture, Food and the Marine in this regard. On the one hand, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is actively encouraging people to cultivate energy crops but, on the other, there is a lack of a transition from farm gate to end of life use for crops that could compel, for want of a better word, State-owned entities such as Bord na Móna, Bord Gáis and ESB to use these products to meet our carbon targets. Biocrops are currently being cultivated on a considerable area of land across the country, with significant investment from the State by way of grants from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. There appears to be confusion as to how these crops can be best utilised in meeting the State's energy needs.