Mr. Senan Colleran:

Deputy Dooley asked a range of questions about Moneypoint, which I will try to cover in my response. The Government's 2015 White Paper on energy policy for Ireland set out that the ESB would transition away from coal by 2025. That decision was driven by two factors, one of which was the need to tackle climate change by recognising that coal has higher carbon than other fuels. In the past 12 months, Moneypoint has seen a radical change in its operation. It now has a running regime of about 10% of what it used to have. That is driven by two main factors, one of which is the price of carbon in the energy emissions trading scheme. That price has increased fourfold or fivefold in the past five months. A second factor is the penetration of wind in the system. Moneypoint's operation has swiftly changed, as have revenues. Recognising this fact, we started engaging with our staff and their unions earlier this year. We have gone through a process where we are aligning Moneypoint's resources with a future running regime. This is Moneypoint's best chance of continuing in operation until 2025.

We are currently considering options for the period after 2025. There are a range of options, all of which must be commercial and environmentally viable. Offshore wind is definitely a possibility and has huge potential for Ireland. We understand that the marine planning and development management Bill, which will be introduced later this year, will facilitate this. It is also worth noting that Moneypoint, as a coal burning station, has provided significant security of supply to the State for more than 30 years. At any point in time, there is enough coal in the yards to run a full load for two months generating approximately 900 MW. We are focused on working with our staff to ensure that our new plan will be put in place and will help the station to survive and continue in operation until 2025.