Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party)
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We are at the early stages of this. Compared to a lot of the world, we are way behind. The first offshore wind turbines went down in Arklow in 2003 or something like that. It was a long time ago. Perhaps it was 2009. We have a lot of catching up to do. Dr. Mellett said at the outset that we probably have one of the best wind potentials in Europe. We should not let perfection be the enemy of the good, as the saying goes. We really need to do this. We must be considerate of the fragile marine environment we have. He will put his background and his PhD in environmental governance and the marine environment to good use in his position. We need to be aware of it. I thank him and wish him luck. The next 30 years of our journey to decarbonisation and energy independence are dependent on the different agencies working together.