Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We face such scenarios. The Deputy mentioned the policies of countries in Europe and elsewhere. The EU's import dependency on petroleum and its product has increased from 74% in 1995 to 89% in 2015, and from 43% to 69% with respect to natural gas over the same period. There is a challenge across Europe and we are reliant on areas with unstable democracies in some cases for our energy security. It is why we are looking at alternatives and investing in renewables, as well as looking to reduce energy use in homes through SEAI grants. The policy is reflected in international agencies' work and the White Paper, which indicate that fossil fuels will play a part in our energy mix for a period.

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