Dr. Patricia Scanlon:

I refer to the previous statement about the different types of energy sources that could be used. I am not an expert in this area but at this point when we are talking about energy globally - and even before we talked about AI we had these issues too - I would love to hear the arguments for and against whether it would be renewables, how much we can do with renewables, are we doing enough, can we do more, what is the role of nuclear power in the future, is it still off the table or can it be done safely, is it in Ireland's interest to do it and what are the pros and cons in this regard. Again, nobody here is trying to bring all the answers. What we are trying to do is to provoke a conversation that maybe is being had in certain circles but could be brought more to the public. We need to have a very realistic conversation about our future with respect to energy. Do we want to say we are not going to do this at all any more and we will all agree? I mean we will never agree, but we just need to have the realistic conversation about what is possible, what is off the table, if we are willing to take the risk if we take it all off the table and say we are not going to do any data centres or do X, Y or Z on AI. That is okay if that is what Ireland decides is the right thing for Ireland but it is very important that we have the conversation and we do it quickly and that we do not just kick the can down the road and let it all happen to us. This is the urgency we are trying to convey.