Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland's figure on clean renewable energy and what it has saved was very striking. I think it was €1 billion in fossil fuel imports. That is highly significant. It is interesting to hear what the Minister says about offshore wind, hydro and tidal wave energy. We are over-reliant on fossil fuels and we know the cost of that is €4.6 billion annually. It is disappointing to see the increase in emissions. The irony is that as the economy does better, our use of emissions increases. Wind power is so fraught in Ireland yet it works so well in other countries. I think we can learn from the mistakes of the past in this regard. The offshore floating wind turbines will be interesting but, again, I go back to the point that we need to keep it in our control so that it is for the benefit of Ireland and not of a multinational company that will take it over.

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