Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is important that the witnesses are here this afternoon. I had the pleasure of spending a Friday afternoon at the MaREI Centre a few months ago. It was engaging and helpful. The witnesses bring a bit of clarity to major issues. I will just ask two short questions because the Chairman has put me under such time constraint.

Where are we going with the carbon-storage model? I will be parochial. There is an energy hub in Cork Harbour. The Kinsale gas field is going through a decommissioning phase at the moment. Both of those stars are shining at the moment. What is the timeline for a national policy on carbon storage, taking into consideration the decommissioning of the Kinsale gas field in the next three to five years? The witnesses referred to the Norway model.

Can I hear the view of the MaREI centre representatives on the Kinsale gas field and the energy hub we have in Cork harbour? How will they all tie together? What do they believe we need to do at a policy level to ensure that it can be part of it?

Another parochial or minor issue concerns anaerobic digestion. Where does that fit in? There are more dairy cows in County Cork than in the entire area of Northern Ireland. Where can we tie that in with the co-operative industry across the southern and eastern base of the country? Can those involved play a role at an environmental level by improving water quality, as well as addressing the carbon issue and producing the gas that is required?