Mr. Joe O'Carroll:

That is the immediate opportunity. We are going to need more grid infrastructure and within the space of the next seven or eight years that grid capacity should be available. It needs to be used to support renewable energy rather than any form of fossil energy. It is not a technology barrier at this stage. Siemens has estimated that, within Irish territorial waters, we have one third of the offshore energy resource in the European Union.

The potential for Ireland to be a massive exporter of energy exists if the right grid infrastructure is put in place. That is the trend of most EU policy. It wants to see generation where the resource is strongest and then, through increased interconnection between member states, to see the power flow from least cost production to consumers. Ireland, and the west coast, has a great opportunity. The Deputy's constituency could be looking at replicating what Aberdeen was to the oil industry and at the benefit that part of Scotland had from offshore oil. The west coast of Ireland can get a similar benefit from offshore wind.