Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is a fundamentally important question because Ireland's energy and environmental policies are meant to be in line with common but differentiated responsibilities. This is a core part of the Paris Agreement. The understanding most have of common but differentiated responsibilities is that wealthier countries and those that have benefited from high energy use in the past should be doing more in respect of climate action. In his opening statement, however, Mr. Foley took the fundamentally opposite view. This was referenced in a previous statement from EirGrid and I am very surprised it has been repeated here. He stated, "The demand for electricity in Ireland is that of a normal prosperous, growing economy." His point is that wealthier countries are entitled to have a higher energy demand. Is it the case that Malawi or Bolivia should not be increasing their energy demands but, as Ireland is a prosperous economy, it is okay for us to be increasing our energy demand? This goes to a fundamental point. EirGrid keeps repeating that demand and energy usage are not an issue, but Ireland is a wild outlier in this regard. Primary energy consumption, which includes all energy users, fell by 4% across the EU, but in Ireland it increased by almost 5%. If we are one of the countries that are meant to be doing more to reduce our energy usage but we are actually increasing in our usage, that is a key issue.

The poorest 50% of the people on the planet are responsible for only 8% of the emissions. In Malawi, the per capitatonnage of the emissions is 0.09 tonnes of CO₂per person. In Ireland, it is 11.9 tonnes of CO₂per person. This is wildly inequitable. I want to know if it is EirGrid's position that the rest of the world can carry the can for Ireland because we are making money and we want to keep banking it in, and we do not have responsibilities because that is what I have heard from EirGrid's statement. What I have heard is that a growing prosperous economy can be ahead of everyone else in Europe in terms of our energy demand, ahead of the rest of the world, and that is okay from EirGrid's perspective. Will the witnesses comment on that?

I want to ask specifically then about data centres. They are being treated as a red herring but this is not a red herring. Data centres are large energy users. A total of 18% of our energy in 2022 was used by data centres. The policy that we are hearing floated by the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, is the idea that they would go green or stay off the national grid and that would somehow address the issues, but we are already hearing that we do not have enough green energy coming on stream through the auctions. We are also hearing that if they stay off the national grid at a time of high demand and use, through backup gas generators such as the power plant that was recently given a special emissions licence in Tallaght, these are still emissions. I would like EirGrid's perspective on the granting of these special industrial emissions licences for additional capacities that large energy users will move to whenever the grid is under pressure. Is that an adequate solution from a climate perspective?

We have heard a lot about the one good day or December being a good month. I would also like if EirGrid to give us hard figures for fossil fuel usage, not the percentage but the actual amount of fossil fuel usage, in Ireland over the past ten years. If Mr. Foley does not have a figure or two from that ten years, perhaps it could be provided in writing to the committee. I am extremely concerned.

Mr. Foley mentioned that there should be a hierarchy in terms of digital users. Where does domestic consumption of electricity, domestic security of supply or public services supply sit in the hierarchy of priority within which, he stated, certain digital users sit?