Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

It is chilling to think that within a decade and a half, all the gas imported into Ireland will come from one field in the Russian Arctic, which will also supply China and the United States. This will leave us in a very vulnerable position at the end of a 3,000 km pipeline.

Later this year the Government is to produce a Green Paper on energy, which is to be welcomed. This motion is timely in that it brings into focus the crisis we face and indicates how unaware people are of how great it might be. I spoke some days ago to the director of a multinational firm in the midlands and discovered that it uses 27,000 litres of oil per day. Its energy bill has increased by €1 million in the past 18 months and it faces the prospect of meeting a T-junction because of competitive rates, internal competition and incentives offered by other countries. This issue is beyond mere party politics and is in the national interest. A solution should be sought at individual and State levels. This is essentially why Deputy Durkan tabled the Fine Gael motion.

I believe very much in Airtricity's supergrid concept and proposal to have 2,000 offshore turbines as part of a 3,000 MW prototype scheme involving The Netherlands, the United Kingdom and France. An interconnected grid would allow for wind-powered electricity production wherever the wind is blowing. This could be developed over 20 years, thus allowing electricity production wherever wind blows in Europe.

One of the saddest sagas in recent history was the one associated with the Corrib gas development. The mediator appointed by the Government, Mr. Peter Cassells, should be allowed to mediate in the case without interference from the political sphere or from persons whose motives might not be focused entirely on the question of safety and the capacity of development throughout the country.

I welcome the fact that the energy regulator has made it somewhat easier for towns to avail of a stable supply of natural gas from the Corrib field as an incentive to attract industry, particularly in the north and north west. The Government must, in the Green Paper, consider balanced regional development through putting in place electricity infrastructure with the capacity to carry an industrial load that will balance the pressures on Dublin with the opportunities that exist in other parts of the country. This is very necessary.

The Government should consider wind potential very seriously. In the Corrib case, the mediator should be allowed to mediate. Lessons were learned from the handling of the matter by the multinational company, the local authority and the Government. I expect the company involved will participate demonstrably in developments with the local community over the next 20 years — it is a question of the future of a very scarce resource. As I stated, the stand-off some time ago between President Putin and the authorities in the Ukraine was rather chilling. It is only when the lights go out that one will realise the difficulty of the matter. The 53 amber alerts last year and the closure of the power station in Shannonbridge because of corrosion problems have a bearing on the bigger picture. Individuals have a part to play, as outlined by Deputy Durkan in the motion.

See this speech in context