Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome our guests. I have met Mr. Cunniffe and Mr. Moran at exhibitions and so on and we have engaged. I have a specific concern, as I have highlighted to them, about the potential for wind energy off the south-east coast, not least in the Copper Coast area, and the potential for damage to amenities. It is important that this committee has an ongoing engagement with the wider wind energy sector, but I would support our guests' call for at least a sector deal and for a representative from the offshore industry to sit on the co-ordination group. Perhaps that is something the committee can speak about in private session.

As I have said to our guests previously, I have concerns about a lack of State ownership in the wind energy sector as it develops, primarily because we do not have expertise and I can see that something similar to what happened with the oil industry is going to happen. Ultimately, we will sell the licences, foreign players will come in and provide everything and we will ask what we really got out of it. We might not even get a good rate of electricity charged to the State.

I am also worried about how the coastal communities will be looked after. One issue I have previously raised relates to how a community dividend, which in general in the wind sector is looked at for about 15 years over the lifetime of a farm, should be paid every year. If a turbine turns at sea or on land, a community needs to be resourced from that. I am worried not only about amenities in tourism but also about the fishing industry. Ms O’Connell might speak about Scotland in a moment. Some of the largest spawning grounds in Europe are to be found off the south coast of Ireland, so she might comment on the effects of talking about putting wind infrastructure out there.

Is any potential tie-up being signalled for people who are coming in to invest in wind infrastructure whereby they would also tie in hydrogen development? Rather than say we are going to create wind farms and then talk about creating hydrogen plants, are any conglomerates interested in coming with that package and saying that as part of their wind farm licence, they would be prepared to invest in hydrogen development onshore? In the south east, we have one of the most significant gateways to composite developments in the form of turbine manufacture. Mr. Cunniffe referred to a course starting in Kerry, but we need very significant academic linkage and his organisation mentioned it was hoping to engage with higher education.

We are at an early stage, but I would like to see a sectoral deal done, with our guests getting representation and with us, as a committee, engaging with them twice a year. It would be good to get committee members out - visits to Belfast, Scotland or wherever were mentioned - to understand where this wind generation deal is going. There is no doubt there is opportunity in this for Ireland, but I very much fear it is going to pass us by. I fear that foreign players will dominate the space and that we may not see much out of it other than, as I said, a not very competitive tariff on wind.