Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)

First, we have an ongoing piece of work on the private wires Bill. Within the week after next, I expect to bring a policy statement on private wires to Cabinet where I will get approval then to draft legislation. It is critical we operate under the Electricity (Supply) Act 1927. While it is good that our grid is owned, North and South, by the two states, there are opportunities for point-to-point connections. The issue of storage is something I have discussed with Deputy Ó Cearúil before. I have discussed it at length with Deputy Heneghan as well. The policy statement will go to Cabinet within the next two weeks, certainly before the recess. We need to get on with drafting the legislation. A lot of reviews have been done on private wires and we know what we need to do in the short term, but it will need to be built on. I wish to get the legislation published because there are opportunities, especially around renewables, own-source electricity generation and energy parks, but they need to be underpinned by legislation.

With regard to the CCAC’s modelling, as I said earlier to Deputies, I am not going to comment specifically in this regard because we have to assess what it has sent forward to us. We need a bit of time to do that to see what the rationale was for the different approaches it took.

For Ireland, nuclear energy is not on the table. It is not even in the room. That is my perspective. Other European countries use nuclear. They see it as a clean energy. There is a waste element with it that is significant too. It is not something I am looking at or intend to look at as Minister for the environment. It is important to state the long lead-in times associated with nuclear energy.

The Deputy raised offshore renewables. I see them as being in the near term. This is within the next five to six years. When it comes to the potential for Ireland, our last auction was well subscribed. We have a further auction, Tonn Nua, later this year. That auction is well advanced and there is interest in it. While quite significant increases in costs to the development sector have made this more complicated, Ireland is well positioned with regard to offshore renewables. My big focus is on getting the first ORESS 1 under construction in this decade. We can do that. Thereafter, we will provide a pipeline through the national DMAP that, as the Deputy knows, the Government brought forward. We can accelerate that DMAP and have it done by 2027, looking at our whole coastal and maritime area.