Dr. Mark Mellett:

I will deal with the Deputy's first point. This is going to cost money and requires investment. That will come from various sources. Some resources will come from the State. Some will come from institutions in the EU. Some will come from developers themselves. I would say that our objective should be based around the electrification of the grid as soon as possible. Rather than exporting electrons, we should consider adding value through green hydrogen. In the future, when the technology has completely matured, we will also have carbon capture to add carbon molecules to that green hydrogen to make e-fuels. The airline industry in this country alone would consume approximately 7 GW of renewable energy in the form of e-fuels or sustainable aviation fuel. That is before we export one molecule or one electron. The case would be similar in the maritime sector when we consider shipping and transport. That is where the opportunity beyond just electrification is there for the national economy. It is a significant opportunity.

The Deputy asked about investment and the responsibility and obligation on the State. We invested 25% of our GDP in Ardnacrusha during a very challenging period. We should not miss the opportunity we have to ensure this is primed to the advantage of the State. That is not just because of industry but also because of the penalty of climate change.

As I said in my opening remarks, sovereign rights that are not upheld are more imaginary than real. We have a massive jurisdiction of almost 900,000 sq. km which translates to the property rights of the citizens. There is an absolute obligation on the State with regard to upholding those sovereign rights. In terms of our function and duty under MAPA to collaborate with other State bodies, we will be doing that and advocating, where necessary, to ensure the necessary security architecture is there.

He can be sure developers will look at the requirements in terms of critical infrastructure costing not millions of euro, but billions, and perhaps even more.