Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)

The Green Paper sets out the Government's priorities and forms a basis for consultation with the public and stakeholders. It aims to engender serious, constructive and structured debate on energy policy. The Government is open to considering all proposals for ensuring competitive, sustainable and secure supplies of energy to 2020 and beyond.

The all-island energy market, which was not mentioned by any Fine Gael speaker, is a cornerstone of energy policy, in line with EU priorities on market integration and interconnection. This project represents a co-ordinated approach to energy policy North and South. The framework was developed by the authorities on both sides of the Border in the context of continuing co-operation between both Governments on common energy issues. The all-island energy market will deliver a range of benefits, including a larger, single market with more competitive energy prices; open and transparent competition at all levels in the marketplace and for all energy sources, including combined heat and power and renewables; a more stable and attractive investment location and consequential improvements to national and international competitiveness of the wider industrial sector; greater security of supply; a robust, integrated infrastructure; a more diverse energy mix; greater energy efficiency; better consumer choice of supplier of energy or of energy services; longer term savings through rationalisation of functions in regulation, system operation and transmission asset planning and ownership; and improved organisation of energy research through the emergence of an all-island network of academic and industry expertise.

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