Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chairman for the promotion; I will take that.

I thank all the witnesses here for their presentations. I have been advocating for this session for a while.

While we talk a lot about what we have to do and decarbonisation, up to now much of that discussion - this is not in any way a negative towards the academics online with us - has been academic in nature and it comes from a desire to do what is right. As politicians, when we think there is a solution to what is a manifest problem, we often tend to leave it at that, to think we do not need to get back into the decarbonisation debate. We need to recognise a few fundamentals.

Onshore wind energy capture is a major problem for many of us in rural constituencies. In my view, we have reached saturation in most areas. The easy winds are already built out. There may be one or two more, but I struggle to understand where they are. This tells me we need to move much more quickly if we are to achieve our environmental goals. We have to be more ambitious and look to offshore. I am very interested in the floating offshore. I am thankful to Mr. Dollard for having identified that that now needs to form part of the auction process. I will be specific initially on the issues with regard to the ESB. Will Mr. Dollard comment on what he is hearing within the powers that be and what the resistance might be to making floating offshore part of an auction process? We need to understand that.

Mr. Dollard might also elaborate on where the resistance lies to the hybrid grid connection. It seems to be a no-brainer. Mr. Cunniffe might also comment on that. I recognise that the ESB, from a generation point of view, is one specific entity. Mr. Cunniffe and Mr. Moran represent other possibilities. What is their view of the notion of a hybrid grid connection?

My next question is to Ms Dempsey and Mr. Daly on the very important work the council is doing. It is not just talking in the abstract because it has identified a real live opportunity. I am reminded about the hydrogen debate and a joke that was told by a colleague on that occasion, which was, "It looks good, but we're not sure what to do with it." For some time now, hydrogen has been talked about as a real energy opportunity. It is of less value when it comes to the practical usage of it. Wind Energy Ireland has identified, from a strategic point of view, a demand that could be met. There will be other opportunities for the usage of hydrogen but people are not quite there yet.

That brings us all the way back to understanding who within the political sphere should be taking charge of designing and devising that strategy. I refer in that regard to the IDA and Enterprise Ireland. At a recent meeting I had with Enterprise Ireland, I challenged the officials about the development of a strategy in the short term for offshore wind, hydrogen and the potential not just from the perspective of electricity generation but also the nascent technologies that can be developed around in order that jobs will be available when we move on from the construction phase. I would welcome a comment from any of the witnesses on what Department should be the parent Department and who should be driving that.

Following on from what we have heard today, the committee should prepare a detailed report with a set of clear recommendations which will go to, in the first instance, the line Department and then Government. We can discuss that further in private session.