Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank all of the witnesses for their contributions and for their work to date on this very important issue. I am glad to hear they are ambitious because we need to ensure Ireland has a sufficient, secure and resilient energy supply that will meet the needs of our society and our economy now and in future, and that it is driven by green energy.

I disagree with colleagues who are critical of data centres. These centres are part of our future. They will also have a role in energy supply. Some have expressed a view there is a binary choice between investing in technology and investing in housing. That view is very short-sighted and lacks ambition. I am glad to hear from the witnesses today that they are much more ambitious. What is critical in the publication of the national development plan - and I am quite optimistic - is that the importance of the grid will be placed front and centre. If we do not address the questions on the grid and on supply coming from microgeneration or offshore renewables, we will face many challenges. For the wider public and the economy it is critical that we send these messages out.

I have several questions, to which various witnesses might want to respond. When building infrastructure it is difficult to get through the planning process. Perhaps Mr. Cunniffe might want to touch on this. What are the implications for those politicians who oppose major renewable infrastructure projects?

What are the thoughts of the witnesses on the private wires Bill and the extent to which they believe it may be able to contribute towards us meeting our targets? Where do they think it would be most effective? Does anybody want to speak about microgeneration and the impact it will have? I am always quite conscious of farmers who are keen. Deputy Heneghan mentioned people being able to produce and provide electricity into the grid. This is important. Are there other jurisdictions the witnesses can cite as good examples of rapidly growing economies that have been able to do this? I am particularly interested in Texas, which has been able to invest heavily in renewables while also investing in data centres.

Given some of our global challenges at present, what are the concerns the witnesses have about energy security? This question relates to some of the debate on LNG, energy security and, particularly, cyber-resilience. Are we confident that we are in a position to withstand any potential cyberattack? Perhaps this may be question for EirGrid, particularly as such an attack could disrupt everything.