Mr. Jerry McEvilly:

I fully agree with what Mr. Gannon said around the absolute importance of ramping up our renewables development. That has been self-evident for some time. Obviously, the more that is rolled out and the greater levels of renewable electricity that are reached, the less usage there will be of gas. I am also hugely conscious that this needs to respect environmental obligations. We need to bring communities with us and include them in the decision-making process. I do not particularly want to dwell too much further on the Moffat situation. I would just note, and it is something others will be very much aware of, that Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man also received gas supplies from that infrastructure. There is a voluntary protocol in place for dealing with gas emergencies. It is also important that any Irish assessment takes into account the UK’s assessment of security of gas supply. I recall in previous years the UK's business department did not highlight any significant issues with gas supplies from Britain to Northern Ireland or Ireland.

Lastly, it is very important that the SEAI’s national heat study analysis is taken into account. Its main decarbonisation scenario, which supports achievement of our carbon budgets, essentially shows fossil gas use halving this decade and halving again in the 2030s, so that it is almost entirely phased out in the 2040s. This underlines that we need gas demand to reduce now, not in ten years. That also means that fossil fuel supplies must be phased out to ensure we meet climate obligations and that gas lock-in is prevented.